Having to stand up in public and speak can be really nerve racking. It's a common phobia that a lot of people have. It's a nervousness that all eyes are suddenly on you. Everyone is listening to every word you say. It can be truly terrifying. If it's something that makes you very nervous, then there's no doubt that you are going to want a cigarette right before you do it.
Maybe having a quick smoke will ease your nerves about giving the speech a little. The cigarette will get you calm at least until you are forced to look at everyone's faces. Those blank faces in the crowd waiting to hear what you have to say to them. But you shouldn't be too worried. After all, you wrote out your speech ahead of time. Or maybe you practiced in front of the mirror. You decided that this hand gesture should go with this part of the speech. You practiced your pitch and your tone of voice. The speech is completely laid out beforehand. All you have to do is go ahead and say it. And that shouldn't be too hard. After all, you talk all the time. But what if you get up there in front of that giant crowd and your most recent cigarette has dried out your throat? You croak instead of speaking that fantastically catchy opening line that you've been practicing. Well it's all par for the course when you are a smoker.
Smoking dries out your throat, which makes it difficult for people to speak. This may cause a constant need to clear your throat just to get some volume. Maybe people make fun of the way your voice is always creaking and croaking. It isn't very attractive or awe-inspiring after all.
Smokers also have to worry about the smoker's laugh. This is when your overworked lungs press out a cough instead of a laugh. Maybe you're on a date and they just told you a great joke. Or maybe your obnoxious boss just told you a horrible joke. No matter what the situation is, your laugh is going to come out more like a hoarse little cough than a genuine laugh. You begin coughing and your face turns red. Your eyes begin to tear up. Now instead of sharing a joke your date is patting you mercilessly on the back and asking if you're okay. That's not a whole lot of fun. Or your boss gets annoyed because his horrible punch line that he thinks is so great is ruined by your smoking laugh. He makes a mental note to only tell jokes when you're not around ? so as not to ruin them. Soon everyone at the office is sucking up to the boss by laughing at his jokes and you're alone in your cube. That's not good networking.
Our voice is the major way in which we communicate with other people. But a voice can become less powerful when harmed by smoking ? and that hurts your ability to communicate with others.
Anxiety And Public Speaking
What you don’t hear from successful speakers is about the journey itself.
For example, when I started in the field of speaking, I was a corporate employee.
As a project engineer, I had to develop concepts and designs to solve problems within the plant.
I was good at this and yet my career progress was slow because I simply couldn’t speak well,
and I needed to present my proposals to obtain funding.
I would become nervous, tongue tied and confused.
So when I started my public speaking career I was so scared and terrified, that even the
thought of being in front of a group of people, made me feel physically sick, and would
make my heart race so much, I thought I was having a heart attack.
Clearly, I didn’t want to go through my life like that so I did some training and got ready
for my Maiden speech.
With this speech I was competing for a prestigious Silver Cup and I was excited because
I thought I was going to win it.
I walked out onto the stage in front of 200 people and arrived at the podium.
Suddenly my legs started to shake so much I thought I was going to fall down.
So I grabbed the lectern, which also began to shake, and then, at that moment, the butterflies
in my stomach turned into dive-bombers and I started to feel sick.
While shaking the lectern so much, I watched with horror, as my notes slid onto the floor.
In total confusion now, I decide to start my speech without picking up the notes.
My voice quavered as I stated my name, and then my mind went completely blank.
After what seemed an eternity, I grabbed my notes from the floor and fled the stage.
All I achieved that day was to let people know who I was and that I was one pathetic speaker.
Needless to say , I didn’t get the prize or even a polite or sympathetic applause from the audience.
It was such a horrifying experience that I had to make a decision to quit or do something about it.
(I was unable to get into the witness protection program to lose my identity!)
Well I studied, practised and used everything that I write about in my book and then some
12 months later, I had to give a speech on behalf of my company.
Now this was a seriously major important speech for the company and me.
If I didn’t do a brilliant job, my career would finish, the company would suffer and I reckon
I would have been out of a job.
That would mean, a massive change in lifestyle for my family, changing schools, changing
houses and even putting my food supply at risk..
So as I walked to the Podium this time I could feel this huge pressure bearing down on me.
And do you know?
I was confident, created humour and had them laughing, created pathos so they could feel
sad, lifted them with excitement, spoke a very clear message, had them in the palm of my hand
and when I finished ,they stood up to applaud.
Pretty good eh?
Oh yes, I got promoted and realised that day, that being a great public speaker helps you make
more money, no matter what your job is.
So what made the difference?
What transformed me from bumbling idiot to charismatic speaker?
And could anybody do the same?
Clearly, the answer is yes, if they went through all the stuff they I had.
Why am I qualified to say this?
Because it is based upon my learnings, my studies, my experiments, good and bad, and
most importantly, on my real life, in the fire, under the hammer, experience.
And then I even wrote my own book on how to overcome the Fear of Public Speaking!
As Chairman of the Public Speaking Group at the Australian Institute of Management I have
coached and helped many people who at the beginning of the year , could not even say their
name, and by the end of the year, had become articulate and confident speakers.
So overcoming the fear and building the skills, step by step, not only transforms your
presentation skills, it builds your confidence in all parts of your life.
Both Mike Durand & Roger Bourne are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Durand has sinced written about articles on various topics from Quit Smoking, Public Speaking and Health. Stop Smoking Pad Striving to Create a Happier Healthier Life by helping people make the decision to stop smokingCopyright 2006 T&M Sales Inc. All Rights Reserved.. Mike Durand's top article generates over 22200 views. Bookmark Mike Durand to your Favourites.
Roger Bourne has sinced written about articles on various topics from Public Speaking. Roger Bourne has been involved in Public Speaking, Personal Development and Coaching for more than 25 years. Giving useful tips on confident speaking.. Roger Bourne's top article generates over 480 views. Bookmark Roger Bourne to your Favourites.
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