Unless your are one of the rare breed of person who is naturally comfortable and charismatic in front of a group, public speaking is normally not pretty or even pleasant, for either the speaker or those listening. A well circulated statistic in oratory classes is that more people fear speaking in front of an audience than they fear dying. Why teachers think this bit of information is reassuring to beginners is puzzling, as it implies that students would be more comfortable dead than proceeding with the course. That being said, everyone has their own two cents for others on how to succeed and minimize nervousness. Regardless of who it is that is giving the advice, professors, authors, or your friend who has been helping you rehearse for five minutes, most of the time this little nugget comes up:
“Just be yourself.”
This is probably the worst universally given advice ever. Of all time. If you were yourself, statistics say most of you would rather physically die and shake off this mortal coil than get up behind a podium. The problem we have with public speaking isn’t that we are not being ourselves, it is that we are ourselves far too often, and everyone can plainly see how afraid we are and how much we would rather be anywhere else. As leaders, we need to keep up a front or a pretense for the sake of the job. We don’t have the luxury of conveying our personal feelings because we are part of something bigger than us. The same goes for speaking; the audience expects authority and confidence, not someone to be themselves. The image is an important part of the message and sacrificing it on the alter of being yourself (to showcase how inexperienced, terrified, and nervous you are) is a poor decision.
If your information is accurate, and you have the competency and knowledge to speak with some authority on your subject, Then ditch “being yourself.” Fake appearances and give a successful presentation. Afterwards, you can take questions and show off your knowledge on a more intimate level where you are more comfortable.
So what about you? What has been the best or worst advice you have received about public speaking?
World-Changers 1.1 