Key points Speaking in public can be an all-in-one fear Anxiety is directly linked to the amount of uncertainty we feel Deal with the cause (uncertainty), not the symptoms (nerves)! Why do we get nervous? Anxiety can take many forms – feeling sick, a shaky voice, sleepless nights, dry mouth – but they all More…
Public Speaking Nerves: Anxiety can work for you!
Key points You can choose to experience adrenaline as either energy or anxiety. Certainty of information (message) is the strongest foundation you can create. Focus on your message and become a natural presenter. Do you choose fear or fun? Psychologist Stanley Schacter has conducted experiments on the way people label the physical symptoms of More…
The Myth of First Impressions
While helping the President of a multinational company with a $20 million pitch, we needed to dispel a common myth before he could move forward. (By the way, they got the $20 mil.). You must have heard this one. ‘People form their lasting impression of you in the first 30 seconds’ (or 8 seconds depending More…
Crazy over gestures for 70 years
Found this old film from the 1940s that runs through the ‘basics’ of effective public speaking. It’s absolute rubbish, but very funny, with an over-emphasis on body posture and forced gestures. There’s some hilarious footage here; especially in the scene demonstrating how not to make gestures when speaking. And in the final “live” speech the speaker’s motions are More…
‘We can face the confidence with future’: A media lesson from Julia Gillard
Slips of the tongue happen all the time. They’re not a problem. What matters is how we handle them. When speaking in public (or televised from Parliament), the best way to handle them is to pause, smile, and correct yourself. A minor blip. The worst way to handle them is to ‘power on’ and pretend it More…
Why a Great Explanation is the best cure for addiction
I’ve never been a smoker, but some family and friends have. Most have stopped (or want to). No ‘quit’ method seems to work for everyone, however, the most successful method stands out for an interesting reason. Not only is ‘The EasyWay to stop smoking’ considered the most successful; in a world of gum, patches and More…
The trend to better quality explanations
February 24th, 2011 was a significant day. Until then, much of the content found via a Google search was low quality fluff produced by ‘Content Farms’, purely to get higher rankings and expose users to ads. A high percentage of info junk means users waste time on rubbish sites, while good information is obscured. This pollution makes More…
Release the anxiety for effortless public speaking
We can gain some insights from the work of F.M. Alexander. One hundred years ago Alexander developed a technique to use our bodies more effectively yet with less effort. Forcing a style can damage your health Alexander was an actor, but when he performed in front of an audience he would rapidly become hoarse. This More…
PowerPoint blows up Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program. A video of the launch here. Seeing the Space Shuttle in the news reminds me of the TWO Shuttle explosions (Challenger and Columbia) and the conclusion that poor communication contributed to both disasters. Some of the blame for the Columbia disaster rested on the More…
Get a method! Rules stop you thinking clearly
Public Speaking courses often focus on ‘Dos and Don’ts’ – a list of things you should always do to be successful. And a (typically long) list of thing you should never do. The core idea behind the Rules approach is that by simply following the rules you will be a great speaker. It doesn’t work. Why? Because rules don’t More…
