How to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking
Remember the Seinfeld bit about public speaking?
"According to most studies, people's number-one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two? Does that seem right? To the average person, that means that if they have to go to a funeral, they'd rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy."CNET's Steve Tobak identifies some of the causes of this fear and offers advice on how to conquer it. For example:
Know your material cold. When you do get an opportunity to present, it's important to put your best foot forward. You need to know your material backwards and forwards. Be clear on the key points you want to get across and be prepared to converse intelligently on the subject. What we call "thinking on your feet" is really about confidence, knowledge, and preparation, not about any particular skill-set.I'm lucky: I've always felt completely comfortable in front of large groups. But if the idea of giving a presentation makes you break out in a cold sweat, you'll definitely want to give this a read. For even more help, check out David's earlier post on the subject. Photo by Toni Malin.