Deliver Public Speeches and Presentations with Greater Confidence

When polled, many people find "public speaking" to be their greatest conscious fear -- even greater than a fear of heights, snakes, spiders, or drowning. No joke.

Where does this fear arise from, and how can we quickly eradicate it? In ancient times, a fear of public presentation may have arisen from tribal culture: if you said something stupid to your peers in the cave, or gave a hunting plan that failed miserably, you could be banned from the community or even killed.

Therefore, it wasn't often best to keep your mouth shut. In the 21st century, however, we live in a dramatically different world, even though our biological impulses haven't caught up yet. Fear of public speaking is a leftover from the primitive world of prehistoric man. Today, it actually benefits you to become well-known and to take big risks.

Look at how our society rewards athletes, public speakers, and actors -- all of whom present in public frequently, and sometimes fail. Our society is surprisingly forgiving of public failure, and greatly rewards a job well done in public (this is why some well-known actors can command $10 million or more per movie).

Once you realize that your fear is mostly a leftover biological safeguard, you need to realize that you are probably much better at public speaking than you imagine. We are programmed to be more self-conscious than is actually healthy, or necessary. Have you ever listened to a voicemail recording you've made and been unhappy with it? Some people spend hours crafting a "good" voicemail message because, when played back, our voices sound strange to us -- but not to others.

So leave your doubt and self-consciousness at the door. Before presenting, give yourself several index cards with key words on them. Don't write out your speech word for word; you don't want to be seen as a drone who simply reads off the page.

But the keywords on the index cards are there in case you momentarily "blank" and need to regain your ground. They are reminders, nothing more. Speak from your heart and speak much slower than you think is necessary. Your audience will greatly appreciate it -- and slow speech is a sign of tremendous inner confidence.

Look at recent presidents. All of them were "slow talkers". This is because politicians learn early on that a point needs to be said slowly, and repeated, for it to be grasped. In the radio world, it is a well-known fact that listeners ignore your ad unless it is heard at least three times in a short span of time. Hence the annoying repetition of commercials in a short block of time.

In addition to slow speech, offer positive body language. Arms by your side; don't ever cross your arms when giving a public presentation as it is a sign of hostility. Make eye contact briefly with individual audience members.

As cliche as it sounds, it truly does help if you imagine your audience to be naked. This puts them on equal footing as you. Even if a boss or superior is in the audience, ignore this: we're all more or less the same, and we all live to die. Anything you do should be done with excellence and without fear of failure.

Once you are 2 to 3 minutes into your speech, it is a proven fact that any unease you have will evaporate. I have done numerous radio and television interviews, and this is always the case. You get into "the flow" at this point and speak your mind, without worrying about what anyone thinks. As long as you speak slowly and clearly, the results will blow everyone away.

Good luck, and remember: your audience is no better or worse than you. They are just people, and in this case, naked people!

(I also recommend you read The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara and Allan Pease as it has good tips for public speaking postures you can try out. And, of course, the perennial bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is another great book to read a night or two before delivering an important speech.)