Giving back with Free Seminars to go from Panic to Power
Liz and I give back to our communities by sharing our Public Speaking skills at free seminars. Here is an extract from the report of a recent "Panic to Power" presentation. Read the full article here.
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Colchester -04/18/2008 - Seminar offers public speaking tips
BY CHRISTINA LEVERE ReminderNews
The first thing you notice about Elizabeth Trendowski and Wayne Botha is that they are quick to smile. Their affable manners make it easy for them to convince people to try things they otherwise might not do... like getting up in front of a group of strangers and pretending to be Paris Hilton.
The impersonation exercise was just one of the activities on tap for "Panic to Power: Swift and Simple Speaking Strategies Anyone Can Use", a free seminar held April 10 at the Cragin Memorial Library. The event drew a wide range of people, from school teachers to business professionals, looking to beat their public speaking jitters.
"Public speaking is a skill that anyone can learn if they want to," Trendowski said. "People think that they should be able to speak well because talking is so natural, but public speaking is an art, and arts need to be practiced."
Trendowski has been in the business of giving presentations for more than 20 years - first as a safe service trainer in the hospitality industry and more recently as a public speaking trainer. She's president of the Smart Training Institute and author of "From Butterflies to Speaking Highs."
Botha has authored "Dodging the Bullet Points - 5.5 Steps to Presenting with PowerPoint" and is co-author of a successful CD, "Panic to Power."
The two are also active members of Toastmasters International (Botha is area governor), a nonprofit organization that offers people a way to hone their communication and leadership skills by getting together for speaking practice. The group even hosts public speaking competitions.
When Trendowski and Botha asked the group why they were so afraid, answers varied. A businesswoman who gave presentations to colleagues noted that she often lost her train of thought while speaking. Another woman said she worried that others were judging her. A man said he rushed through his speeches and forgot to breathe.
"Everyone is afraid of messing up and being embarrassed," Trendowski said. "Even me. I didn't start off great."
Ironically, her worst experience wasn't in front of hundreds of people (she said the number of people doesn't make it the most difficult), but was during a publicity tour. She completely froze. For the television interview, the producer had to dub in her voice. For radio bits, the producer used sound clips.
"It was very embarrassing," Trendowski said, laughing.
Botha had a similar experience, although his public speaking gaffe was only in front of two people. "I didn’t know the material," Botha said. "I just froze."
Indeed, there are many reasons why public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience, and Trendowski and Botha were armed with tactics to help even the meek become speaking mavens . They use the word "panic" as an acronym for "preparation, activity, needs of the audience, interesting and closing." During the seminar, Trendowski elaborated on each point, using group activities such as having everyone stand to make note of body language , for emphasis.
By the end of the evening, everyone seemed to have conquered at least some of their jitters. People joked, laughed and offered their own public speaking anecdotes.
posted by Wayne Botha @ 7:46 PM
1 Comments:
At April 25, 2008 4:46 PM ,
Terry said...
Great post Wayne!
I like your acronym for good presentations.
Forgive me for the long-winded reply, but you got me thinking about to make people feel more comfortable in front of an audience, so here is my two-cents on the subject (and then some).
From personal experience, here are the 9 steps I suggest for feeling more comfortable in front of an audience, which should help to alleviate the fear of speaking in public:
1. As the days and weeks lead up to your presentation, practice creative visualization. Fear stems from the unconscious repetitive thoughts and feelings about failing. The key to successful visualizations is simultaneously feeling positive emotions attached to images that you see. Imagine the room in which you will present. Feel the empowering sense that this could be your break-through moment. This could be when you reach to a higher level than you ever thought possible. Imagine yourself now in front of the audience facing them, looking calmly and intently into their faces. Take a big breath and feel relaxation welling-up within you. Imagine giving the EXACT kind of presentation you want – however that looks, sounds and feels to you. When you are done imagining yourself delivering your presentation, hear in your mind’s ear the enthusiastic applause of your audience. See faces that are pleased, moved and touched by what you’ve done. See others seeking you out, shaking your hand, congratulating you on your performance. For as long as possible, keep experiencing that feeling of triumphal success. Repeat this process as many times as possible.
2. About 5 – 10 minutes before your presentations, use this breathing technique: with your mouth closed, count out 4 seconds in your mind during each measured, controlled inhalation and exhalation through your nostrils. Then slow it down even further to a 6, 8, or 10 count. That will help to soothe your entire nervous system, slow your heart rate, and lower your blood pressure. You will feel much calmer, your thinking will be much more lucid, and you will be able to communicate your ideas much more clearly in moments of stress.
3. Start with a personal story. Stories help you get into the “zone” of presenting. You are intimately familiar with the material and it’s easy to be more animated with an energetic, expressive voice, movement and gestures when telling a story.
4. Many clients prefer conversation to “presentation.” If so, start with an interactive opening. Ask the audience a question, preferably an open-ended one (who, what, where, when, why, how). Call on them by name. Engage them by expressing genuine curiosity in their ideas and thoughts. Your scary and silent audience can be quickly transformed into an informal gathering, sharing their ideas and perspective.
5. Change your paradigm about the sensation you are labeling as fear or anxiety. Instead of labeling is as “fear,” think of it as energy, which you can channel into your presentation.
6. Strong movement, gestures and an expressive, energetic voice which will command more attention and project more confidence and charisma. 80 – 90% of the presenters that I observe do not expend enough energy. Hence, they come across as uninvolved, uninteresting, and unenthusiastic.
7. Sustain eye contact with individual members of your audience. You will project confidence and trustworthiness and your presentation will feel more like an informal conversation.
8. Get up in front of groups often. There is no substitute for experience. As the experience grows more familiar, your fears will lessen. You may eventually find that you relish the chance to present.
9. Don’t give up. As American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
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Thanks again for the post and article
Terry Gault
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