Is Public Speaking Anxiety Pushing You Around?

What are you thinking about before you give a presentation? Are you anticipating the worst and getting anxious about the mistakes you think you’re going to make? If so, you are letting negative thoughts push you in the wrong direction.

Don’t get pushed around by anxiety. Fight back with three performance-changing steps that will put you in the driver’s seat. To push your presentation in the right direction, shift your thoughts and your breathing.

Focus on Your Audience 
When you start obsessing about what your audience will think if you make a mistake, STOP. Most people will not notice small mistakes, and if they do, they are thinking more about themselves than you. When you start walking down the road of negativity, shift gears. Start thinking about how you can reach, connect and help your audience. When you change your focus from internal (it’s all about me) to external (it’s all about my audience) you take the pressure off yourself. Remember, a presentation is about the message, not the messenger!

Get in a “Gift Giving” Mindset 
After you stop focusing on how you feel (nerves, fear, anxiety) start focusing on what you have to give. A presentation is a gift of your time, knowledge and your experience. Ask yourself empowering questions like: What can I share that will help my audience? How can I solve a problem? Will my audience be better off because of my presentation? When you focus on what you’re giving—instead of how you’re feeling—you have a more empowering mindset. You feel more confident when you know you are making a difference.

Take a Deep Breath 
Just before you step up to speak, take a deep breath. Pause a beat to gather yourself and take control of your mindset. You can reduce your anxiety by controlling your breathing and calming your nerves. If you’re feeling anxious, take a few minutes to breathe deeply and visualize a scene that is calming. A flashback to the beach relaxes me. What scene can you think about to quickly calm your anxious mind?

For more tips on how to beat anxiety before your next presentation follow the Better Speaking Skills Facebook page. You’ll get videos and daily tips to take the stress and anxiety out of public speaking. Need more help? Fill out the Contact Us page at https://www.portercoachyou.com

Hurricane Dorian Left Three Reminders

Hurricane Dorian slipped past Florida, with little major damage. It was supposed to stall over Central Florida, like it did the Bahamas. I watched for days, bracing for a devastating blow from the storm. I worried. I waited. But all I got was a lesson on how to handle the stress of uncertainty.

For some, there’s nothing more stressful than standing in front of a group, giving a presentation. For me, there’s nothing more stressful than not knowing what’s coming next. Hurricane Dorian reminded me of the best way to face down a stressful, uncertain situation—get prepared, stay informed and be flexible. These three steps will also help you through the stress of speechwriting and delivering a presentation:

1. GET PREPARED: Prepare for the worst and anticipate the best. If you’re preparing a presentation, try to insulate yourself from mistakes. Create a checklist of steps you need to take to be successful. Set aside enough time for writing, creating slides, and practicing. Bring your checklist of reminders to your presentation.

2. STAY INFORMED: Know what you need to do to successfully deliver your presentation. Find out key facts, learn the best way to deliver your message and stay on top of last-minute events that may impact your presentation. Know your audience, your content and your equipment (computer, slides, etc.)

3. BE FLEXIBLE: Be ready to handle whatever is thrown your way. If your presentation time is cut, drop a story (keep the point it demonstrated). If you’re asked to talk longer, have some audience activities you can quickly add to enhance your message. Be able to change your presentation, when needed. Prepare some extras (stories, questions for your audience, etc.), just in case.

If business presentations are stressful for you, like the Better Speaking Skills Facebook page. You’ll get videos and daily tips to take the stress and anxiety out of public speaking. Need more help? Fill out the Contact Us page at https://www.portercoachyou.com

Is Your Audience "Feeling" Your Message?

He wasn’t trying to get a laugh. When comic Jon Stewart spoke at a Congressional hearing in June he was trying to get permanent financial aid for first responders, struggling with health issues related to the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

Why did his words have power? Why did his message move legislators to take action? He spoke with passion and emotion. After his testimony, Congress voted to make sure the 9/11 victims’ compensation fund never runs out of money. The Jon Stewart lesson for business presenters is simple: make your audience hear and FEEL your message.

Before you pull together your next presentation remarks and slides, ask yourself three questions:

1. How do I want my audience to think differently after I’m done?
2. What do I want my audience to do differently after my speech?
3. How do I want my audience to feel after my presentation?

To make your audience think differently, share a different point of view. To make them do something different, give them a call to action. To make them feel differently, add emotion to your words.

To really make your audience “feel” your message, tell a story that gets an emotional response—make them laugh, make them sad, make them angry. An emotion is just a strong feeling (happiness, sadness or anger). As a speaker, when you touch the emotions of your audience, your words are more memorable, powerful and impactful.

Have you heard the saying, “Be the Change You Wish to See…”? For presenters, if you want your audience to feel something, mirror the emotion you want to see. That means, you need to step out of your straight-laced business persona, and show emotion—if that’s what you want your audience to do.

Use your face, your voice and your gestures to express how you feel. It’s OK to smile, shout, dance or get angry—if it makes your message more moving, emotional and real.

Fighting back tears, with a trembling voice, a comedian got a stagnant Congress to move on legislation they had not acted on in years! And you can inspire your audience to action, if you let them hear and feel the emotion in your face, your voice and your gestures.

If you want to put more feeling your business presentations, fill out the Contact Us page at https://www.portercoachyou.com

Which Business Story is Right for You?

Have you been told to add stories to your business presentations? OK, what do you do next? You should take two steps in the right direction. Step #1: Choose the type of story you want to tell. Step #2: Hit all three H.A.H. goals.

STEP #1 - PICK STORY TYPE
If you’re a professional, executive or business owner, there are three types of stories you can tell to make a deeper connection with your audience. The type of story you choose to share, depends on what you want your audience to do when you’re finished. Let me explain:

• WHY: The “Why Story” tells your audience what motivates you to do what you do (start a business or lead a project). Tell this story if you want your audience to care about you, your business or your project. Share an example that illustrates why you care about your audience and their problems. Every business owner needs a “Why Story”.

• DESIRE: The “Desire Story” makes your audience want the results you talked about in your story. First, you describe a problem the audience has, then you fast-forward to the current situation (the problem was fixed) and finally you explain that the problem was resolved by your solution (a product/process/service). Tell this story if you want your audience to buy your solution. If you are in sales, you need a “Desire Story” to demonstrate the power of your product/service.

• LESSON: The “Teach a Lesson Story” makes a point that you want to drive home to your audience. This story makes your message more memorable and illustrates a key point you’re making. Tell this story when you want your audience to see and feel the point you’re talking about. Every presentation should have a “Teach a Lesson Story”.

STEP #2 - HIT “H.A.H.” GOALS 
After you select a story type, make sure it hits all three H.A.H. goals. Whatever story you tell, you must engage your audience’s head (mentally), inspire them to take action (support your project or buy your product/service), and touch their heart (create an emotional connection). For example:

• HEAD: Your story must have ideas and characters that capture the imagination of your audience, so they’ll remember your message.

• ACTION: Your story should inspire your audience to take the next step with you (join your project, sign up for your service or buy your product). Your story should move your listeners to take action.

• HEART: Your story should get an emotional response from your audience. Make your audience have strong feelings (such as laughter, compassion, excitement, anger) and care about the characters/message in your story.

If you need help deciding which story type works best for you, fill out the Contact Us page at https://www.portercoachyou.com

Erase Speaking Mistakes Like You're Tom Brady

Mistakes happen. Tom Brady, who has more Super Bowl rings than any quarterback in NFL history, has also thrown more than 170 interceptions. Do you think he let those mistakes hold him back? Nope. All elite athletes know what to do with their mistakes. They use a three-step system to recover. It works for speakers, presenters and athletes. Anyone can use it. You should too!

I haven’t talked to Tom, but I’ll bet he uses the “IFF Recovery System” to quickly rebound from throwing errors. Here’s how it works. When you screw up (forget a line, mispronounce a word, or your delivery sucks) as a speaker; take these steps after your presentation is over:

• IDENTIFY: Identify the cause of the mistake. Did you prepare poorly? Did you get too nervous? Find out why you made the mistake.

• FIX: Fix it. Take steps to make sure you don’t make the same mistake again. Put in more practice hours, get feedback on your performance, or learn a better way to handle the situation if it comes up again.

• FORGET: After you fix your problem, forget about it and focus on what you do right. Replaying mistakes in your mind will erode your confidence. You can’t move forward if you’re always dragging your past into your future. Erase your speaking mistakes like you’re Tom Brady. (FYI, Tom has thrown more than 500 career touchdowns vs. 171 interceptions!)

For more ways to recover from speaking mistakes, like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BetterSpeakingSkills)

Can You Make a Serious Audience Laugh?

Have you ever gotten a laugh—on purpose—during a serious presentation? Well, keep that trend alive! Audiences (actually everybody) love to laugh. When your audience is laughing, then you know they’re listening (hopefully to you). But how can you pull this off and why should you bother?

• WHY: When you get your audience laughing, you’re making a connection with them. They’ll keep listening—just in case you make them laugh again. And your message is easier to remember, when you tie it to a little humor.

• WHEN: So you’ve decided to add humor to your presentation. Congratulations! Now, ask yourself two questions. #1. Is the funny story or comment relevant to my topic and my audience? (If the answer is “yes”, add it. If the answer is “no”, leave it out.) #2. Will it help my audience remember one of my points? Don’t add pointless humor, just to get laughs. The funny comment should make your message unforgettable.

• HOW: When you add humor to a serious presentation, try to be an A.S.S. Be animated, surprise your listeners and stop talking. ANIMATED – Use facial expressions, gestures and vocal variety to drive home your humor. SURPRISING – Don’t tell your audience something funny is coming. Slip in the humor, and catch them off guard. Never ask, “Do you want to hear something funny?” STOP – When you hear the laughs, stop talking. Stand there and enjoy the ride. Don’t be rude and talk over the laughter!

For more ways to get laughs during a serious business presentation, like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BetterSpeakingSkills)

Rate Yourself on the 3 Jobs Speakers Have

Have you ever done public relations? Do you deliver packages for FedEx? Are you a construction engineer? Probably not. But you have three jobs when you’re giving a presentation. Ignore your job title. When you’re a speaker; you’re also in PR, you’re delivering packaged information and you’re building a bridge. Let me explain:

 • JOB #1 - PR: During the first two minutes of your presentation, you’re a public relations person. Your job is to get your audience to view you and your message favorably. You're trying to make a winning impression.

• JOB #2 - Package Carrier: Then you need to deliver your package—information that’s appealing and easy to understand. If you don’t deliver your information the right way, your audience won’t receive the package they were expecting.

• JOB #3 - Construction Engineer: You built your presentation. You have laid the foundation of trust with your audience. Now you have to build a bridge from your message to your audience, which makes a memorable connection.

How would you rate your PR skills, your package delivery skills and your bridge-building skills as a presenter? If you are not a “10”, go to the Better Speaking Skills Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BetterSpeakingSkills) for tools you can use to raise your score. You’ll find daily tips on how you can become a PR pro, a presentation delivery expert and an audience connection engineer—while multitasking as a speaker!