Thinking About Kids

Great comments Nancy. It's amazing what can happen when people let go of the need to control everything and just interact with the audience. I've found, as you've indicated, that if you know your material and speak from the heart you can eliminate much of the jitters. You don't have to make up stuff or worry about content if you've internalized the material or if it's already a part of who you are.

It helps greatly if you're passionate about the subject or approach it from an angle that you enjoy. It also helps if you get people as involved as possible so that you can move away from being the "expert" and let others get in on the action. As you've stated brilliantly, it's not about you.

Take care,

Guy

Nancy,

Thank you for expounding further on how to reduce the fear of public speaking after reading my blog post. I appreciate the insights and tips you shared.

Your comment about avoiding annoying mannerisms particularly resonated with me. So many speakers nervously shift their weight, jingle the change in their pockets, fidget, and unconsciously engage in other activities that upstage their verbal messages.

While I agree that it’s important to focus on your audience, it often takes some practice to minimize those distracting tics so that we can be fully present with our audiences.

Nancy

Yes, ummms are distracting and you make a good point to replace them with a pause. In fact, those pauses can be a great time to catch a little breath.

I like the idea of substituting an unappealing habit (like saying filler words) with an appealing one (like pausing).

I couldn’t agree more that video is a powerful tool in improving one’s presentation skills. However, for those who don’t have a video camera or who just aren’t ready to see themselves on video, a first step can be to practice in the mirror.

When I teach students to present, we begin by writing down all their least favorite things about presenters. Then we talk about strategies for avoiding them. It's a good exercise.

One thing that always comes up is people speaking too fast or (often AND!) mumbling.

"Your ideas are important. You aren’t."

I really like this pithy expression of a valuable insight. I'm reminded of don Miguel Ruiz' Second Agreement: Don't take anything personally. Perhaps a corollary [here] would be Don't make anything personal.

Many successful presenters have shared with their audience their feelings with the audience. Aside from being true to your feelings, it helps to connect you in a real way to the audience. If you are paralyzed by fear, of course, you might get people feeling sorry for you. But there is NOTHING wrong in expressing being a bit daunted by the task or even the subject.

I have always found it important to just plain practice expressing yourself. It is important to seek opportunities to talk out loud
daily in groups. If you don't have the opportunity to be heard in small groups, public speaking will be daunting. Get practice in talking.

Great articles on presenting. Where do I start learning to present as a introvert? It looks like I need to learn even though I like one on one conversations. Is reading a book a good place to start? Joining "ToastMasters"? Taking a class at a university? Going to a seminar?

Thanks for any suggestions?

The previous poster is absolutely right - nothing beats practice. Books are less important than having something to say.

It is easiest to begin presenting by talking about something you know and care about in a fairly small setting. Many introverts enjoy doing intellectual work. I would suggest volunteering for a project. Organizations (and companies) are always looking for someone to take on a project - rewriting a charter, setting a policy, organizing a potluck, setting up a dance. Lots of that work will tend to be comfortable for introverts.

Part of it will involve telling people what you're doing. Now you're presenting. But it is a more comfortable type of presenting, which is just sharing your thoughts and opinions. That's a great place to start.

Most schools (for your kids or for yourself) have many committees. Join a committee - or head it - and you're instantly in a presenting situation.

Similarly, if you're at work, begin by speaking up on something you have strong opinions on at meetings. Presenting your idea is a beginning.

If you're interested in public speaking, I would urge you to seek out something like Toastmasters. They really are good at helping, although they are fairly formal.

Once you get started, you'll find you wind up in presenting situations all the time.