My name is Jim Golden and I'm the president of Golden Opportunity, Inc (http://www.learningisgolden.com/). We are in the organizational communications and interpersonal skills business. We help to solve communications challanges by providing solutions to improve confidence, ability and effectiveness public speaking and presentation skills and communications and interpersonal skills.
Some of us know that for most people, public speaking (sociophobia) ranks higher than the fear of death (necrophobia). What this says is that if a person with this phobia were attending a funeral, they would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy.
We would like to ask the global community a question - How do you feel about public speaking and/or delivering presentations?
Thanks,
Jim
103 comments:
I don't have a problem with speaking publically. My job requires me to get in front of a couple hundred people and put out information, teach a class, or even give commands to soldiers. My issue is when I have to give a speech that I have to rehearse first. I have taken singing and acting classes but nothing is worse than getting in front of an audience and giving a speech that I have had to rehearse. I guess the underlying fear is that I will be asked a question I cannot answer or worse I lose my place and cannot get myself back on track. I tend to be more mindful in my eye contact and body gestures and how many ummms I say than on the "meat and potatoes" of the speech itself, and from there everything takes a nose dive south.
Speaking to mass groups of people I tend not to get too stressed out about. Well of course it depends on the topic. Like mostly everyone if it is something that I actually care about, I can go on for hours. If it's something that maybe I have prepared for over a period of time but really have no interest in, it becomes very clear that I would rather be doing something else (wanted to see if that would work). But speaking to people I actually like, the feeling of being in control, that the spot light is mine. Typically I would use this to crack a few subtle jokes just to see who actually gets them.
I think the biggest aspect of public speaking is the presenter's "comfort level" with the topic at hand. I personally give several speeches or breifings on a regular basis. Normally this is not a problem for me, whether the crowd be 10 people or hundreds. Yet, bear in mind, when giving these speeches, I'm normally the subject matter expert. So it makes presenting the material that much easier. If I'm knowledgeable about the topic, naturally, I'm going to exude a air of confidence. This will assist me as I present my speech, atlhough sometimes this can be a liability as well, I tend to start talking faster the more comfortable I am with a topic. Then of course there's the flipside of the coin. When presenting new information or a topic I'm unfamiliar with. This is when the butterflies begin to flutter in the stomach. No matter how arrogant or vain I am in normal day to day reaction, there is nothing more humbling that standing in front of a crowd and giving a speech on a subject you know little about, or have not had an opportunity to practice numerous times. Yet, it all has to start somewhere and normally after giving a speech a couple of times, it's easy to get in the rhythm. Having the audience relate to me as the presenter is always an added bonus, and also helps with those butterflies. Getting the audience involved allows me to calm down. Whether having them laugh at a joke, or asking opinions and questions of the audience, all this is beneficial for me. Public speaking is an excellent asset to posses, benefitting in numerous ways from networking to demonstrating competence, and as such should be pursued relentlessly.
There are quite a few fears that I have of public speaking. The first is that I think somebody is going to point out something that makes me look ridiculous -- some flaw in my logic, or something embarassing. Perhaps it's a fear of being ridiculed by somebody as critical as me. I'm quick to make fun of somebody on TV, but that is because they are there by choice. The second fear is that I get made fun of for mumbling, or for being too boring or monotonous. I've learned thru dealing with coworkers, and dealing with children, and dealing even with my wife, that I need to liven up my conversations on the regular -- just to keep the person involved in the conversation. The art of
storytelling and the science of keeping a conversation open-ended, these are constantly running in the back of my head as I try to maintain fluidity. When it comes to giving speeches, I prefer it be in my field of expertise so I can shoot from the hip. Other than the fear of being embarassed or the fear of being heckled, I think it's a fear that someone is gonna judge me on my accent, or how I look, or the clothes I'm wearing. As long as I can get past all the superficialities, and just talk about what I'm trying to talk about, and keep people awake and interested with my visual aids and my humor, I believe I can overcome all my fears.
Personally, I do not have a problem with public speaking. However, I would admit that I tend to get nervous sometimes which causes me to perspire. I think it is important for folks to familiarize themselves with speaking in public. I believe the more you acquaint yourself with speaking openly, the better your chances are to rid yourself of public speaking!!
I think it all has to do with your mind-state going in. If I think that I will be nervous, or think that I could fail up there in front of everyone, than I will. But if I am confident, and think these people just want to know what I got to say, and they are not passing judgment on me, I can do just fine. Confidence is the key to accomplishing anything.
Public speaking seems to flow naturally for me. I cannot remember a specific occassion were I was "scared" to give a speech. Every week I speak in our new employee orientation, the amount of employees varies any where from 1 to 25. I also conduct travel trainings semi- anually and by request (which is usually twice a month). So I actually speak publicly a lot. I think the key to not being scared is to have an ice breaker (something that can relate you to the crowd). Once you gain the crowds confidence I think that will lesson the tension in the room and make the speaker feel confident.
I don't any problem with public speaking . I think the key is to be prepared as much as possible and know what you are speaking about because that will help you deliver with confidence. Many times people worry about pleasing the audience which cause you to stress your self out and become nervous. If you do the best you know how to do everything else will fall in place.
Personally I don't like public speaking. I express my feelings better on paper. I have done many presentations in public but I have always been very nervous while presenting them. Maybe I am afraid of not being understood.
I'm fairly comfortable speaking in front of people at work, since I generally know more about the subject I'm speaking about than the audience does. I'm much less confident when I speak in front of peers that share my knowledge.
I have a very serious problem speaking in public. My issue is not speaking in front of strangers, but speaking in front of people that I know. When speaking in the presence of strangers, I am calm and very sure of the material I am presenting. However, when speaking in front of people that I am familiar with, I tend to become very nervous and sometimes stumble over my words. Every Sunday, I get up and sing in church with ease. Teaching causes me to get the sweats. I think it may be a fear of being wrong and being called on it while everyone is listening.
Public speaking is one of my biggest fears. Even though my job requires me to sometimes speak to newly gained members (Indoctrination), I strongly dislike it. I do the same spill most of the time and it always get to me. I know the material and what I'm talking about, but the fact that I'm in front of an audience drives me crazy. I always feel like they can see straight through me, like what I'm saying doesn't matter. When I go up for boards and get asked a serious of questions by Senior personnel, I start sweating, my voice starts cracking and shaking, I can never find my comfort zone. Also, my accent is very heavy. Once or if I do find a comfort zone, it comes out. I can maintain it to a certain extent, but when I get wrapped up and into whatever I'm delivering, it just comes out. I don't even realize it, until someone gives me a smirk or says something. This has been a disaster for me ever since I was in Elementary School. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I have a great fear of public speaking and this is something that I would really like to get over. I feel that I would be good, as long as I am speaking on a subject that I really know and understand. One of my co-workers and I belong to the same association. As a matter of fact, she is the president, and she has been trying to get me to speak at one of our monthly meetings on ethics. I keep telling her I can't do it, but she really thinks I can. So, one of the reasons for taking this class is to get over my fear and have confidence in myself while speaking to a group.
I don't have a problem with speaking publicly at all. I really don't even have to prepare myself. I just get up there and flow with it. In high school, I particapated in a club called DECA which was a marketing club, and there my teacher signed me up for a public speaking competition because she knew I could do it. And what can I say, except she was right. I went all the way to Nationals and came back a winner, so public speaking is just like tying my shoes, EASY!
I truly have a fear of speaking in public although I do it on a regular bases. I always feel a great since of anxiety until after the first few sentences are spoken. I'm hoping to overcome this fear.
Being prepared and confident for your speech is definately the most important part of giving a speech. Knowing what you are talking about in detail and giving supporting facts and reasons to back up what you say is key. I wouldn't want to give a speech and not know anything about the topic I am presenting. I would like to be calm and have rehereased my speech in my mind, so I can visualize myself speaking before I speak. I would have to know my audience so I can effectively grab thier attention. I would like to give an exciting, informative, and to the point speech. I don't like getting a lecture that drags on and has me looking at my watch to see when its going to be over.
I have to admit that I do have some fears speaking publicly. My hands tend to sweat and shake a bit, and my heart beats fast! No matter how much I prepare for it, I still get really nervous speaking in front of people. I feel that I will make a mistake and people will laugh at me. English is not my first language so there is a big room for mistake and that's what gets me most of the time.
From the other posts I know that I am not alone when it comes to a fear of public speaking. I get so nervous that I forget everything that I was suppose to say. But then I discovered notecards! They definatly help but I still tend to forget a lot and then I kick myself for forgtting to say that important thing or for not saying something they way I mean it.
Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to teach to fellow fire fighters and other emergency responders for some time now that I no longer have a fear of public speaking. Being in the military, I’ve also had several opportunities to speak to higher ranking individuals that would intimidate some who may not be as comfortable in those situations. Thankfully, I love to network with those in my career field, so any chance I get to either sit in on a conference or provide some technical expertise, I welcome the opportunity.
I have a great fear of public speaking. My first time presenting at a class was a disaster. I was sweating and shaking and couldnt even write my points on the chalk board! I have tried to improve on public speaking by speaking up more at work during meetings, but i still do not feel confident enough to stand in a room full of peope and talk. I think part of the reason for my lack confidence is because i am not a native English speaker, and i am more comfortable conversing in my native language. I also sometimes feel like theres always someone in the room who knows more about what i'm trying to say than i do. I truly hope that i can improve on my public speaking skills because i think being confident enough to stand up and speak to a large number of people can help you achieve success in a lot of areas.
I was never a good public speaker. Most of the time when I had to teach a subject it was to a small group of people (3 to 4). However when I got to my new job and had to stand in front of 12 to 50 people in a formal setting my fear showed through. I am much better at public speaking now. After 5 years of doing this formal instruction I have over come most of my fear. I am still a little nervous on the 1st day then I settle down and I am more relaxed. I am no longer the robot that just reads from a slide.
For whatever reason, whenever I have to speak in public I start to get knots in my stomach and then my throat starts to get real dry and I start coughing because it feels like I just need to clear it out. My voice becomes quivery and my heart pounds like it has turned into an internal sledge hammer. The funny thing is, I love to act and I love the theater. I find that when I'm playing a character, I'm not nervous at all. It's only when I'm me...
According to Myer-Brigg test, I'm an extreme introvert that feels lost in crowd. However, I don't really have problems in public speaking or presentation. Working in science field, I'm required to present data and give talks about my research project on weekly basis with group of 20 plus people. I think it is definitely a skill that people can refine to make better with repitition. THe more I have to present, the more I'm at ease, especially I see it as a routine. The good news about making public speaking a routine is, I never have to practice before hand. As long as I have my data prepared in presentation slides, and have a story (explanation of data), I am good to go. But, easiness created by routine does not account for persentation style. I cannot guarantee I can peak listners' interests when I'm talking about an analysis of variance between treatment and non-treament groups of experiments thought!
Well, I have absolutely no problem at all with public talking. However, Natasha and public speaking dare not be mentioned in the same senctence. I just get all of my words in a bunch, and often forget what I am supposed to be speaking on all together. I have full confidence, however, that I could be good at speaking if I had the proper training and techniuqes.
I have encountered public speaking on a number of scales. I don’t believe I have a fear of public speaking now, but my first time speaking in public, I was absolutely terrified.
My first public speaking appearance was at my Middle School Graduation in 2004. I was the runner up for valedictorian and I was asked to give a speech about my experience at the school. I attended a religious private school in College Park, Maryland. I attended the school for 3 years and I deplored being forced to go there by my parents.
The day of my graduation, I was called to the podium. As is customary to Muslim events, the men and women were segregated, and I was standing in front of the female audience. I started to speak and my voice trembled. I looked up into the crowd for a friendly face and saw my mother smiling at me and I mustered up enough courage to begin.
I began my speech dictating my experiences at the school, pretty simple. Later on in the speech however, I came to some very emotional points and I began to shake. Once again I looked to my mom for strength, but this time her face was red and tears were falling from her eyes. I about passed out at the podium. I continued on though and in doing so, I cried myself. I was partly emotional about leaving the school but I was mostly terrified of speaking in front of all those people.
The response when I ended the speech was definitely not what I was expecting. It seemed everyone in the audience had tears in their eyes. It appeared to me that my tears moved them to experience the emotions I was trying to describe to them. From that day on, public speaking was never a fear of mine.
Best regards,
Samirah Ali
SPCH 100
preparation preparation preparation lol the other thing I do is move around a lot if given the opportunity. I engage my audience as much as possible. When I teach I move around the classroom. My mantra is if I am bored, they have to be. If I have to stand at a podium and look up at the individuals I am speaking to, that I hate. Fine, if I have to stand at a podium at all I hate it. My neck locks up every time.
I don't fear public speaking. How can you fear something you don't know? I can speak in front of a group of people, and I do on a regular basis (military thing), I just don't have a clue if I am any good at it. Most of the time I just wing it. If I know a topic, like I do at work, I can talk forever. I am usually told that I provide to much information. If I don't know so much about the topic, or I don't think I do, I only speak of what I know and tell folks that I will get back to them with any questions that I can't answer. This doesn't work that great for Navy Boards I have found out. I am sure that Professor Golden will have plenty to criticize and I am truly looking forward to it. I think.
I don't really have a fear of public speaking but I do want to share some effective processes I use when I do approach those situations.
First, I take some time to consider my audience. When I know who I am speaking to sometimes the act becomes easier. (ie speaking to a crowd that is younger than me)
Secondly, its obviously a good idea to know your topic but sometimes I make the mistake of knowing my topic to well. Filling my head with to much information that will not add to the purpose of my speech. It makes my mind wonder through all the information I've gathered while talking. Know your topic well and focus on a good outline.
These are two methods I try to stick to when preparing for any type of public speaking engagement.
Hope this helps someone,
ST
I really do have a fear of public speaking. I actually have a fear of most public places, in general. I don't know if it is some psychological or clinical issue, but I am also afraid to try to seek help for it. If I am in a situation where I have to get up and speak in front of people, I generally try to ensure that I am fully prepared, first of all. I know that if I'm not prepared, I will be even more nervous and won't be able to present the material. I feel that if I had more time and opportunity to practice, however, that I would get more comfortable with it and not have as much of a problem with it.
That's interesting about how people fear speaking more than dying. I've delivered a few speeches and find that if the material I'm delivering is something that I fully understand or that I feel passionate about then I could talk and answer questions comfortably. If it is a topic that I had to research, I fear that the audience will be more of the expert and I don't have enough prep time to fully internalize the information.
That's interesting about how people fear speaking more than dying. I've delivered a few speeches and find that if the material I'm delivering is something that I fully understand or that I feel passionate about then I could talk and answer questions comfortably. If it is a topic that I had to research, I fear that the audience will be more of the expert and I don't have enough prep time to fully internalize the information.
Throughout my experiences in life it does appear tha many adults have a phobia to speak in front of large crowds. I have been a very quiet and shy person for most of my life. However, I generally do not have problems with speaking to large groups or crowds. Many times a have a little nervousness right before speaking but it generally depends on who is my audience. While delivering my speach or comments I tend to get more and more calm and relaxed. My current job I have to travel frequently and generally have to give an information brief atleast twice a month.
It has been in my experience to practice and reherse before speaking. The more you practice and become familiar with the subject and speech the easier your delivery will become easier and you will be a lot more confident.
I have a serious fear of public speaking. When I stand up in front of the room and my mouth goes dry, my hands start sweating, my face turns red, and when I try and speak I trip over my words. I do a little better if it is something I can memorize or a topic I know well. If I have to read or do impromptu speaking-- you can forget out it! In my line of work I really need to be able to speak in public, but this fear is something I still have even after 10 years of practice.
I love public speaking. I enjoy the challenge of getting in front of a crowd with something to say and being forced to win them over or die trying. It is exhilarating.
I actually enjoy public speaking very much. I don't find it uncomfortable in anyway. I think the key to being an effective public speaker is to be well versed in the subject and practice, practice, practice. I am a senior NCO in the U.S. military and find myself in many situations that put my infront of large groups. Confidence in who you are and what you know is needed, but it also needs to be tempered with empathy and personalized so you don't come off as arrogant. Knowing your audience and their level of knowledge is also critical. You may have to break the subject down for a learning audience to avoid talking over their heads, however doing the same thing to an experienced audience won't be productive either. To summerize, be well informed, be confident in yourself and know the type of audience you are addressing in order to be successful.
Public speaking is one of my biggest fears. I have only had to get up in front of people to speak a few times, and every time I have, I got so nervous my body would shake and I would get short of breath and not be able to move my arms to write on the blackboard. Maybe my fear is because I am so hard on myself and I am scared to mess up in front of others for fear they will judge me. I hope to over
Public Speaking....Bring it on! I have no problems or quarrels’ when it comes to standing in front of an auditorium full of peers. Be it from the weekly debates or a monthly play. I am not an extrovert by any means, nor do I have to be the center of attention. I just enjoy the sound of a well presented debate, from the stage not the third row. I love the sound of the applause, as well as the feeling of delivering a perfect line. Sure, there are days that I trip up in the middle of a line, but it is what you do after you trip up that really shows what you are made of.
In my current job, I sometimes have to brief coworkers and supervisors/managers etc. on numerous issues that occur throughout the day, and with that, I don't have any issues. I have taken a public speaking class before, and was terrified for every speech, and I can't tell you why. While in this class, I see these people every day, maybe it has to do with the formality of the situation. When i'm at work briefing people, it seems less formal. It is just me talking. Nothing is prepared. But in the class, there was a lot of preparation that went into it. A lot of shirts and ties. When at work, it is me just being me. Im pretty sure that that is the biggest issue that I have with giving speeches...the formality of it all.
I don't have a a fear of public speaking, but you won't see me jump up to give a speech or speak to a crowd because I am a introvert. If I had to get up in front of a crowd to speak it would be nothing to me. I have given tons of speeches throughout my life during school and military training. I have also had to give a lot of briefings with the jobs I had in the military. I just would prefer to keep to my self if given the option. Its not a fear for me, its more of a personality issue.
My first attempt to speak publicly was about 15 years ago. It was a group of about 10 of my personal guests at a meeting and I was to welcome them and thank them for attending. When I stood up, the room started spinning, my mouth filled with cotton and when I walked away my husband met me, led me to a chair and I asked, "what just happened?" I literally had a severe panic attack. Fast forward 15 years, and I just recently gave the family remarks at my grandmother's funeral, but still had to read it from my speech notes. It was a success, everyone enjoyed my delivery and even requested copies of my speech. I've come a long way, but still have a long way to go. I do well with notes and a familiar topic that I'm passionate about, but shooting from the hip and extemperaneous speaking is a challenge.
I really only have small fear of speaking in front of a large group. The best I way I get over that is to just focus on the speech and not worry about what people are thinking of me or the speech.
Public speaking is a fear of mine, but I don't let it control me. I speak to 400 Airman a day in the Air Force. My job doesn't allow me to fear getting in front of a crowd and letting go. I did find that if I have a good time with it that the fear goes away.
Many years ago I decided that the direction of the city I live in was taking a wrong turn. I decided to do something about it and ran for Alderman of one of the wards in the city. I had always been able to express my self in written words and in speaking in small groups but the thought of giving speeches terrified me. The format that was chosen was simple speeches, it was not to be a debate. The event was to televised on the local access channel and was a public forum. I walked into the Maryland General Assembly room and took my seat on stage. There were about 200 people in the audience along with the television camera.I spoke with some of the people whom had become my friends that were also on the stage and waited my turn as I listened to others. I really don't remember too much from the time my name was called to the time I sat back down. I was told I did fine. I later watched a replay of the event on TV. Not too bad, I was definitely nervous but no worse than some of the others. It really helped to boost self confidence and made any future public speaking much easier. I believe the key was to speak on something I truly believed in and to just face my fear head on.
Note: I did not win the election but truly enjoyed the experience.
I do not like speaking in front of anyone. That is one my biggest fear. I do not raise my hand even if I know the answer. When I know that I have to speak my heart beats faster and I move around. Speaking in front of people puts me in another world. When I had to speak in front of people I would speak fast to get it over with. When I have something to say I wuld write it on paper which is the best way for me to talk to anyone unless its over the phone.
Personally, I don't have a major problem with public speaking. I began speaking publically at a very young age, while participating in pageants as a child. I also spent 8 yrs in the U.S. army. My job required me to give briefings to units entering and exiting my area of operation, passengers on flights, group facilitations etc. However, I still get nervous about leaving out important information. I also still get a little nervous upon my opening statement, then calm down after my first paragraph or so. I think my experience throughout the years has definitely helped me gain confidence in speaking publically.
I'm not a big fan of public speaking. I don't have to do it very often, but whenever I have to, it's not very comfortable for me. The nerves doesn't seem to go away but maybe I don't do it enough to be more relaxed. When I have to do it though, I just remind myself to speak confidently and I will get through it.
I find that I do have a fear of public speaking, although this will not be the first time I have spoken publicly. I have to present briefings on certain occasions during the course of my job and I do find it gets better with repetition. I also believe public speaking can be easier if someone is well versed on the topic being presented.
I actaully hate public speaking because I lack cofidence. It will never and has never been my strong point. I am honestly not looking forward to this class, But I know I can get through it. I know millions of people feel the same way as I do so it comforts me to think of that. Wish me luck!
I admit, sometimes I get this knot in my stomach before speaking to a large group, but after I actually get going, I don't have a problem. I think the reason I am even able to speak to large groups with out any issue is due to my church organization. Starting from a very young age one is taught to give a lesson or "thought" in front of one's peers. One continues to have opportunities to do this all the way through adulthood. I'm grateful for those experiences because I think without them I would have more of a fear toward public speaking because I am naturally that way, but practice has helped me overcome that. I have a very high opinion of teaching people to speak publicly beginning at a young age because of this.
I don't have a horror story. I just have a fear of speaking in front of people, because I don't want to embarass myself. I recently went to military leadership school and I had to perform 3 speeches for the 6 weeks I was there. The first speech was a introduction of my unit, which was hard because it pertained to giving a brief history of my unit. Which I am not a history buff, I can't seem to retain that type of information in my brain. Plus our instructor really wanted us not to use our outlines and notes so much. Of course, I forgot information and I'm not good at coming up with information out of nowhere, so I froze for what seem like minutes. I started feeling hot, embarassed and sweaty. I peaked at my notes hiding on the podium and then just read from the notes. So, just remembering how I felt at that moment, keeps that fear alive for me.
I think I would be pretty comfortable with speaking publically as long as I am comfortable with what I am speaking about. If I were giving a presentation, I would be comfortable. If I were asked to perform improvisation of some sort, I would be a bit out of my comfort zone. As of yet, I have no public speaking experience.
No Fear, I'm in class to increase my knowledge.
Thankfully every time I have been called on to speak in public, nothing horrendous has happened. However, this is not to say that I am not dreadfully scared of getting up and talking to a large crowd of people. I found that the more that I concentrate on not saying things such as "umm" and "like", the more I end up stumbling and saying th ese filler words. I try to best prepare for my speech by outlining the speech into it's major components, and narrowing down individual topics from there. I try and rehearse in front of a mirror to practice not staring at my notes, as well as engaging the audience with my eyes. If I get caught up during the speech, I try and take a deep breath (without being too awkward), compose myself, and get back to the outlined speech I know I can deliver. Confidence is key whenever I step up to the plate, and I hope that I can continue to deliver speeches with confidence and the focus of the audience.
I am fortunate enough to have been blessed with the "gift of gab". I tend to feel very comfortable talking in front of people, especially strangers. I attribute some of this to the plays that I performed with my drama team in middle school. But for the most part it is just who I am. I feel comfortable as the center of attention. This comfort has led to my being selected to teach many courses in my military career. I've always said, "just give me a topic and I will talk until you ask me to stop". I consider myself to be fortunate to not suffer from stage fright, for it has led to many great opportunities.
My fear of public speaking is when everyone is looking right at me. As soon as there full attention is on me, my heart starts racing and my face turns red. Once i even left the room to puke. Other times i see spots as if i were gonna pass out. Now once i give briefings to the same people over and over agian, its not so bad. The vicious cycle starts all over agian with a new group of people. I dont know really what it is. I can talk and talk to people even strangers but when it comes to actual standing in front of people and giving information, i freeze.
While I love to chat, chat, chat I have never had to talk infron tof more than about 50 people. and that was because I worked for pampered chef and I would do shows. Other than that no public speaking. I do not think I will do a good job at this because I am always worried I will lose my place and look stupid. :(
I have had the opportunity to talk to groups as large as around 30 people; usually to present a new product or solution to my coworkers, or upper management.
I usually prepare by showing the slides to a coworker and ask for feedback.
A few classes I’ve taken required oral presentations. The guidelines for the presentation are usually pretty easy to follow. I would prepare by practicing in front of a mirror and/or presenting to a friend or family member.
I also teach esl which is a form of public speaking.
I can say I don’t really get nervous about public speaking. As long as I’m well prepared I do ok.
I get a bit of an adrenaline rush when I have to speak in from of a large group, and the normal nerves that come along with it. The thing I am really uncomfortable with is having my voice recorded. There is something about the sound of my own voice in a recording that gives me the heebee-jeebees and really grates my nerves.
I personally do have a problem with public speaking. I want to get better and overcome my fear of speaking to large audiences. I read that public speakers make a lot of money and that is an incentive to overcome my fear. I see myself as a leader, and as a leader I need to feel comfortable speaking to my subordinates.
I was on the Debate team when I was in high school. I always dreaded making a fool of myself by stuttering or stumbling when debating my points. I decided to be extremely prepared in my subject. I wrote out rebuttals and questions that opposing positions would have. The more knowledgeable of my topic the more comfortable I was.
When I was younger I admittedly did have a fear of public speaking. As i remember back it was not the fear of what I had to talk about that would get me nervous, it was all of the eyes looking at me as I was overweight as a young person and very self conscious. I think when you are a kid and get picked on for such you never really lose your selfconsciousness. Even as I got older and got leaner and shed all of my excess pounds as a scholar football athlete you still have apprehensions albeit in a much less nature.
With that being said the way I always got myself prepared for speaking when I got to assignments in school, college and later in worklife that required presentation preparation I usually followed a few "ritualistic steps". For starters I always made sure I knew my material that I was presenting. I felt that the better you knew it the better you could "ad lib" or quickly pickup where you left off if you got interruoted by a superior's question (bpss, professor, etc.) and or just lost your though which happens to almost everyone.
But the actual "butterflies" (as we owuld say before a game) I feel come from the anticipation and the moments leading up to the actual event. What I always tried to do to relax me was to try my best to take my mind off of what was approaching that I had to present at. I even will go so far as to think about something COMPLETELY unrelated in an attempt to relax my mind and nerves. I even tell myself "It is no big deal...You will od fine....You are prepared." I sometimes get "snapped back to reality" when it is time to present and at that point you do not have time to be nervous because it is time to talk !!!!
Fortunately strategies such as these have served me well in the past and present and I hope will continue to be the case when called upon for me suring this SPCH100 class this semester !!!
In my job I have had to talk in front of a lot of people. I still get butterflies when I have to talk to a large group. Over the years I have gotten better at speaking but still need a lot of practice.
I don't have a problem with public speaking if I know what I'm talking about. My job requires me to give briefings and I am confident in giving these briefings because I prepared and did research to make sure I am delivering the most accurate and up to date information. Sometimes the audience could make you discourage by the blank stares but I notice that people tend to react based off of your action. Once I show that I am comfortable, I am human and I will make mistakes my audience tend to loosen up.
When I was younger I did have a fear of speaking in front of people because I was born with a cleft lip and had a large scar. Then in 2002 I started selling Avon and using products that took the scar away. Suddenly my fear of speaking began to go away as the scar faded. In a few moths my confidence grew and the fear faded. I began giving motivational speeches to fellow representative and new sales reps; after a few months I was leading training seminars and speaking with other districts in the state. My fear of speaking has faded even more now because in my current field I have to talk to people that I have never met before on a varying amount of different subjects. One method that I have learned in any situation is to take a deep breath and then speak confidently. It also helps to be knowledgeable about the topic you are talking about so I read all the time so I can maintain a vast amount of knowledge that has seemed to help me in every environment. One great advantage to speaking with people in a group setting is that you can teach as well as learn which is always helpful to everyone.
I have a fear of public speaking, I normally don't do it, because my job doesn't really require me to do any type of public speaking. So I really haven't had any kind of public speaking. Although, I have done soem public speaking I was still very nervous, and developed a little bit of a stutter when I try to get my point across. I really have found anyway to beat this fear, I've tried a few techniques like, taking a few deep breaths before the speech, talk slow to prevent stuttering, and try to picture as if no one is there.
I have always feared speaking in public. I simply do not feel comfortable, even when I know the topic, I immediately start sweating, my face gets all red. I feel like everyone is looking at me and judging me, or trying to see if I really know what I am saying. Since I was in school, I have always hated to do public presentations. English is not my first language and that makes me very nervous. I feel that I am not saying the things correctly and people will laugh at me.
As a kid, I always had difficulty speaking in front of a large group of people. My voice would never be loud enough, then my hands would start to shake, and eventually my face would turn bright red. I would always feel embarrassed afterwards. But as I got older, I started to grow out of this phase with the help of a lot of techniques. I still have my moments when I am standing in front of a large group of people and all eyes are on me.
I've never had a problem with public speaking. Having served in the Navy, I regularly had to give briefings and presentations. I guess early on I may have been a bit nervous, but quickly became accustomed to speaking in front of large audiences. I also take pride in relentless preparation before speaking, so that certainly eases any tension. I'm outgoing as well, so I'm naturally comfortable in large social settings.
Speaking in public has never been a big issue for me although I have never spoken in front of a huge audience before. I usually just try to focus on the information that I'm trying to get across and not to think about what others are thinking, so that helps me stay focused.
Normally I am what I would consider to be an average public speaker. I have found that when I am well prepared I give much better presentations, which I am sure is sort of the norm. Recently, I have becme more comfortable with speaking in front of large groups due to the amount of presentations I have had to give for school and work. I know this skill is invaluable especially as I enter into the consulting field, speaking to clients and upper level management will become a day to day task for me. I look forward to understanding more about the intricacies of verbal and non-verbal speech and preparing a well formatted presentations.
I do not have that much experience with public speaking. I have given a lot of informal speeches to small and mid sized groups, but it has always been informal. During a leadership school, I did witness multiple people become obviously nervous and sometimes freeze up during a presentation. I look forward to seeing what other experiences people have had.
Reid Burns
Public speaking is quite difficult for me. I took a speech class in high school. I always get nervous when I am in speech mode in front of a lot of people. The mere idea of it gives me the chills. In a social setting, I am gregarious and quite free. However, there is something eerie about preparing for something and delivering it in front of a lot of people whom you have never met before. The fear can only be the cause of not wanting to be judged by others. I remember at my old high school, I had to recite hamlet's "to be or not to be...". In the middle of my "performance", I forgot my lines. I paced on the stage holding my sword. I walked back and forth for 20 minutes hoping somebody would help me, Nobody said a word... Finally, I made up the lines that I forgot and finished strong with the classic "People of Orphelese, be all thy sins REMEMBERED!!!". When it was over, the feeling was better than sex.
I am grateful to not have a problem with public speaking. I get nervous before speaking just as many people do. However, I feel with a lot of preparation, I will be confident in the words I have to say and whatever questions may be followed up.
Ironically, I'm not much of a public person. I don't consider myself particularly extroverted or outgoing. I just feel confident in the things I have to say.
Public speaking to me can be very scary or no problem at all. To make public speaking a breeze for me I always try and look my best and have a plan. If you don't know what your talking about you can really open yourself up to embarrassment. If your not looking your best it can feel like your answering the door in your P'J's. I feel that your appearance says alot before you even start talking. Another thing I do is always try and speak clearly. The more confidence I have the better or clearer my speech is. Confidence is key. The part of public speaking I am still working on is the unexpected speaking. For example,when you are just grabbed out of an audience and asked to speak. Very scary to me.
Frederick Vermillion
I definitely have a fear of public speaking. I would be the one would would rather be in the coffin than giving a speak at a funeral. Even when i have to speak or teach in front of 12-20 people i might not seem like I'm nervous but inside I'm shaking and i feel like everyone can see that I'm nervous and can hear it in my voice. I could never stand up in front of an audience with more than 50 people, cause id probably pass out and hit my head on the podium.
I am pretty comfortable with public speaking. In my job quite a few times I have to speak in front of groups and high ranking officials. In the beginning though I had problems getting my thoughts together,in clear concise sentences. If I haven't spoke to a large good in awhile, I do have anxiety, but it subsides as I speak more.
I usually panick when I have to do public speaking. My fear is that I may stutter too much and forget what I have to say. I know we all may have to do some type of public speaking in our lives and I dread that day.
I have recently stumbled upon a couple of volunteer postions that require me to speak publicly on a very frequent basis so I am getting used to the idea but I still have my problems with it. My biggest problem is that I get self consious and start to feel as if I sound ignorant or something like that. I think that the topic that you are speaking about also makes a difference in your fear levels. For example, the public speaking that I am doing now is speaking about something that I am very passionate about and something that I feel needs to be talked about. If you were to ask me to speak about something that I had no knoweldge of I would probaly have a higher level of fear.
I do not have a problem with public speaking, as long as I know the subject I am talking about. To me that is very important, I have taught classes and I have taken classes that have forced me to get out of my shell. I don't need really prepare because I'm not nervous, I go up there knowing what I'm going to do before it happens. On the other side if I do not know the subject very well and I go up there just tying to wing it, I have a more difficult time feeling calm and confident. There is not much to do at that point but to mentally suck it up. As the public speaking goes on the less nervous I get.
I do not have any issues public speaking. I am actually very social and i do not mind speaking at public forums. My first public speaking event is when i was stationed in South Korea i was the main speaker for a chain of command ceremony which is when a new officer takes a position within the unit and the old officer steps down.The army tends to make a big deal out of this event. I was privilleged to be able to do this because i was only a Private at this time which is just about the lowest rank you can be in the Army. After this event took place i had many opportunities presented to me to speak for Army events since then i have spoken at 4 events.
Public speaking can be very tricky at times. Generally I have no problem speaking in front of an audience. I study my material and prepare myself the best I can. I also tell myself that the audience is here for a reason and that is to hear what new information I have for them. If I run into problems I try not to deflect or block any questions; I will admit that I do not know the answer and that I will have to inform the audience at a later time. I would say that if I need to give a presentation or a speech at short notice I become stressed out because no one want to be setup for failure.
Currently I do not have a fear of public speaking but prior to lots of practice, I used to go blank when speaking in front of a large group of people, I would stumble on my words could not remember anything I had plan to talk about. I know study and use the joke technique to relax the crowd and it actually relax me as well. Know your topic very well as help the flow and of how you deliver your speech. Gregory Jackson
I don't have a fear of public speaking, although I'm usually nervous. Though, I feel that nerves are a good thing, if I didn't feel nervous I would think there was something wrong.
Honestly my first encounter with public speaking was on stage when I played in a band and I was asked to tell a story by my singer. A pretty packed crowd of a few hundred people and all I could think about was how much of a redneck I sounded like! I had an awful experience on a radio interview once that when I heard it back I was so embarassed! Typically in those days booze always helped but now a days when I am speaking to my employees in the restaurant, I find that plenty of preparation goes a long way. If you have studied on the different angles of what you are talking about, you will always have an advantage!
I think the issue when public speaking is my level of comfort. Initially, I always seem to have anxiety but then it usually subsides further along in the presentation. I also notice that the word "um" is used alot when I am not in my comfort zone.
I really don't think I have a problem with public speaking. Honestly I haven't had to do much of it but I think If and when I have to I can do it pretty well. For me it's about getting over that initial nervousness and anxiety of public speaking but once I get over that in a few minutes I'm usually pretty focused on the topic I am talking about or that is being discussed rather than worrying about how I look or sound. I think if you focus on the subject that is being discussed fully it takes away from your nervousness.
Fear of public speaking is not a concern of mine. What I do worry about is looking like a complete fool in public! As long as I have been given enough time to write myself notes, or even just a moment to compose a solid argument I generally feel confident in what I have to offer. There is no worse feeling than leaving a forum thinking, "UGH! I should have said THAT!" As long as I am confident in what I know and what I am expected to produce for the crowd, I have no need to fear voicing it.
Hello I feel that speaking publicly or giving presentations comes easier with pratice. One must be a good reader, speak clearly, and use I contact with your audience. I have given Service talks and presentations on my job. At first it was hard because the room was quiet and all eyes and ears were on me. As I continued through the presentation it bacame easier and gave me more confidence. I usually require interaction with my audience depending on what Im talkin about. Public speaking becomes easier with time and practice.
When I was in high school, I used to have a huge fear of public speaking. After joining the military, I was thrown into leading training sessions and briefing people on different topics (especially topics I had no clue about). I think that by being put into those situations, my confidence started to build and I got more and more comfortable being up in front of a group of people and talking about anything. Having that level of self-confidence and preparing ahead of time definitely eases the nerves a bit and helped me get over that fear.
I would say I have a fear of speaking in public more as to I have a fear of how much I sweat when I speak in a large setting. I'm fairly comfortable with articulating my ideas and thoughts but while doing so I sweat. The positive outlook to my sweating is that, the more time I spend speaking in public the less I sweat.
*correction to my last post* I wouldn't say I have a fear of speaking in public more as to I have a fear of how much I sweat when I speak in a large setting. I'm fairly comfortable with articulating my ideas and thoughts but while doing so I sweat. The positive outlook to my sweating is that, the more time I spend speaking in public the less I sweat.
Public Speaking is not what causes fear inside me. The content of which I am speaking is what determines my level of fear. If I am speaking on a subject that I am comfortable with, then I have more confidence. If I am uncomfortable with the subject of discussion, then I will have complete fear.
Although I welcome the challenge of public speaking I've encountered meetings where the audience did not respect me due to my age and rank. Personally I think this might be something unique to the military, but I don't know this for sure. Situations where you know that you aren't respected before you enter the room which makes speaking in-front of your superiors a difficult task. Offering them some sort of abstract to the audience helps. A great example was a meeting where the class was actually offered pipe-cleaners so that they could remain engaged while they fiddled with something, yet I feel that this unfortunately did not work with the lesson plan and worked as a mindless activity simply to keep the audience awake.
My fear of public speaking is one I continously undermine. I am Active duty Army and evrytime I approach a group of soldiers I do with the upmost confidence, but that confidence seems to diminish the minute I'm in fornt of the platoon. I have watched hundreds if not thousands of over individuals stand infront of the same audience and deliver similar speeches, almost flawlessly, or atleast thats how I interpretted it. When I'm standing there I tend to forget what I was about to say. I get nervous and the message I ment to deliver ends up getting cut shorter than it was intended to. I some times feel like I was never fully able to get my whole point accros. I never looked at myself as fearfull public speaker until I was actually put in this position.
My fear of public speaking is one I continously undermine. I am Active duty Army and evrytime I approach a group of soldiers I do with the upmost confidence, but that confidence seems to diminish the minute I'm in fornt of the platoon. I have watched hundreds if not thousands of over individuals stand infront of the same audience and deliver similar speeches, almost flawlessly, or atleast thats how I interpretted it. When I'm standing there I tend to forget what I was about to say. I get nervous and the message I ment to deliver ends up getting cut shorter than it was intended to. I some times feel like I was never fully able to get my whole point accros. I never looked at myself as fearfull public speaker until I was actually put in this position.
Naturallly, i am very quiet and don't enjoy public speaking. i think my major fear is that there could be someone out there in the audience who is more knowledgeable than i am on whatever am speaking on. On rare occasions though where i've been opportune to speak on a topic that i have great knowledge of, i have found myself with tremendous confidence and have delivered my speech flawlessly. For me, on such occasion, the difference between fear and courage is the knowledge of the subject matter.
I've been involved in public speaking for quite some time; when I was younger, I competed at religious symposiums where youth would be judged based on speech content as well as eye-contact, posture, tone, etc. That being said, I'm always learning about how to be a better speaker, because it's difficult to engage an audience depending on the topic at hand. As they say, "Practice makes perfect." Thus, I try to practice in front of the mirror, practice in front of family (to receive a confidence boost and receive constructive criticism), and practice in public.
Robert Winters Said....
I really love speaking publically. Been speaking in front of large personnel for over 20 years. From going to the school talking to kids and reading them books to teaching at GA TECH ROTC speaking, teaching,coaching and mentoring is what I, really like doing. Plus being in the Army almost all the time in front of sometimes Thounsands of people did an interveiw with the News in Nov 2011 in Iraq about the war, the only thing I really feared is making sure I, say the right things and holding true to what I say.
Public speaking is a great skill to have! ~ Jim Golden
Public Speaking truly gets you ahead
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