Monday, January 10, 2011

Public Speaking

Public Speaking: Tips for Confidence

A study attributed to the University of California, Berkeley, showed that depression could be relieved by having patients smile at themselves in the mirror for 20 minutes each day. By acting happy, the subjects created a “feedback loop” that told their brains they felt happy. Try it yourself! By focusing on appearing outwardly confident, your send physical information that tells your brain that you are feeling confident. Your brain will then look to justify this feeling. You might find yourself thinking “of course I’m feeling confident, I’m well prepared” or “if other people can do this, I can too” or “this is my area of expertise and people want to hear what I’m saying”. This creates a positive feedback loop – you start with feeling physically confident, your brain looks for reasons to be confident and finds them, and your feeling of confidence continues to build.

Act confident to feel confident

  • Stand with your weight balanced over both feet (don’t lean on one leg!)
  • Relax your shoulders
  • Make open gestures with your arms and hands
  • Smile!
  • Speak at a good pace (don’t rush it!) and pause to let your points sink in

Gain experience or “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!”

“Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!” is a book by Susan Jeffers. The basic idea is that fear does not go away by waiting or hoping for the feeling to change. Some of the best techniques for changing how you feel are far less effective than simply acting in the face of fear. Being courageous is not about acting without fear, but acting IN SPITE of fear. Remember that you probably look more confident than you feel! By repeatedly doing something that is unfamiliar, we become familiar with it and the fear diminishes

To gain experience and reduce fear:

  • Practise speaking in front of a friendly audience, for example, friends or colleagues
  • Regularly take up small opportunities to speak in front of a group, such as at team meetings
  • Volunteer to make presentations on behalf of your team, such as leading short training sessions

Improve your skills

Ultimately, the best way to feel confident about public speaking is to know that you’re really good at it. Consider attending a course, where you will get expert advice on how to make great presentations. Visit the MacGrercy Consultants page on Presentation Skills for information about courses available for your team.