Speaking to Groups

Connection: The 6th Secret to Fearless Speaking

"The secret to speaking without fear when you are talking to a group is to connect with one person at a time and simply speak conversationally." Most people experience a connection when they are speaking one-to-one with another person. It is when they speak in front of a group that many people begin to feel afraid and lose the connection to themselves and to their listeners. Connection with yourself As long as I take a breath in and let it out, I am connected to myself. I can feel my body, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fear of Speaking, Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups Tagged With: Connection, Essential Speaking, Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking, Speaking Skills, Speaking With

Being Positive: The 5th Secret to Fearless Speaking

What makes a positive attitude so attractive? Someone who has a positive attitude is like a ray of warm sunshine that brings me happiness. When that person smiles in a genuine way I can feel the warmth radiating from every cell in their body. He or she lights up the moment for me. Isn't this true for you? Just think about your circle of friends. Identify the friend who has the most positive energy. How do you feel when you are around this person? How does being positive reduce your fear of speaking? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups, Tips for Public Speaking

Awareness: The 3rd Secret to Fearless Speaking

I used to be very uncomfortable with eye-to-eye contact. It was awkward and made me feel uneasy, especially if I didn't know the person. So speaking in front of a group was even more challenging since there were so many eyes staring back at me. Standing and looking out at a sea of eyes was as terrifying as looking out at a sea full of sharks. Why people are afraid to look at each other Many people find that they avoid looking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fear of Speaking, Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups, Tips for Public Speaking Tagged With: Being Present, Being Real, Eye Contact, Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking

Silence: The 1st Secret to Fearless Speaking

Doreen Hamilton || Silence - A Key to Essential Speaking

"A silent mind is far more precise, accurate, and powerful than anything that is contained in the boundaries of rational thought." Deepak Chopra Be silent When people come to my programs on overcoming the fear of speaking, they are always surprised to see that I begin my 7 steps to Fearless Speaking with "Be Silent." Immediately they know they are not in a conventional course like other classes that often stress how to craft and organize a speech or how to make dramatic gestures. I see on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 7 Steps to Fearless Speaking, Fear of Speaking, Fearless Speaking, Find Your Voice, Mindfulness, Speaking to Groups, Tips for Public Speaking Tagged With: Being Present, Confidence, Overcome Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking

Be Engaging When You Speak and Look at People

How Conventional Public Speaking Training Misses the Point Conventional public speaking training tells people who are afraid of audiences to look at a spot on the back of the wall and avoid the listeners. The problem with this technique is that the wall isn’t interested in your message and it won’t give you a response. You miss the opportunity to hand-deliver your words and be with people as they receive them. Ignoring the audience by focusing your attention somewhere else leaves your listeners … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups Tagged With: Anxiety, Essential Self, Eye Contact, Public Speaking

An Exercise for Eliminating Uhm’s and Ah’s

In my last blog post I said that "ums" and "ahs" are fillers that point to an underlying public speaking anxiety. Today I found an article written by Daniel Batten that gives people a tip on how to remove these fillers. Batten writes "remove all 'ums' from your language - and replace them with pauses. What I suggest is: Record yourself reading out a paragraph from any book. Read the same passage putting in "ums" and "ahs" at a conversational frequency. Read the same passage, replacing "ums and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups Tagged With: Anxiety, Confidence, Essential Speaking, Public Speaking, speech fillers

Um’s and Ah’s: How Fear Shows up in Public Speaking

What is the Purpose of Fillers? Much of what is written about fillers such as “ums” and “ahs” states that they are an unconscious habit. The sounds, words, and phrases that fill up the silences are for the most part not even recognized by people as they speak. Unconscious means out-of-awareness. When a habit is repeated without conscious awareness, we can guess that there is also a reason for that habit that is not yet identified or understood. The “ums” and “ahs” serve some purpose … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups Tagged With: Anxiety, Fear, Fillers, presence, Public Speaking

3 P’s of Authentic Speaking: Passion, Personality and Play

Today I found an article related to authentic speaking by Teresa Tayag, Trainer, Speaker, Public Speaking Coach from “Let the Real You Shine Through.”Teresa writes that “public speaking has been a very intimidating pursuit for many. Experienced speakers have established countless forbidding guidelines that make many aspiring speakers cringe and at times, give up. The gurus have dictated their defined "rules" as if they are proven scientific facts: the way a speaker looks, the way a speaker … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups Tagged With: Authentic Speaking, Confidence, Public Speaking

Anderson Cooper’s Secret to Success

CNN's Anderson Cooper has earned four Emmys. What is the secret to his success? He says he is "not talking to X number of people, I'm just talking to one person through that camera lens." Cooper has mastered the art of Essential Speaking because he knows how to make public speaking seem like a one-on-one conversation. Listeners in an audience respond more readily when they feel they are being included. Rather than talking at a group of people, you need to be with an individual...as if no one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups

From Dread to Enjoyment: A Workshop Participant Speaks

I was surprised that my presentation went so well! What was really wonderful was that I didn't have the shaky hands or voice. The breathing became very natural for me and it kept me relaxed while I was up in front of the class. Another great thing was being able to make eye contact. I usually can't focus on the audience, but this time, I was able to look around and just see what was going on. I observed some people nodding as I explained things, but even if someone didn't seem engaged, it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Speaking to Groups