October 2008 Archives

How do people get rid of the fear of public speaking?

A recent question to Meg Heyworth of Speak with Confidence was as follows,

"My mouth is dry, my heart is palpitating, and my knees are knocking. It does not help to go to pieces when I have to get up & talk at my networking meeting, what can I do?"

Meg advised that deep breathing would pull in oxygen & help the brain work to full capacity.  She also suggested that it helps to stand tall, smile, & think  happy thoughts.

Use the adrenalin that is the result of these feelings by placing your hand on your forehead and press gently on the bony points.

Speak with Confidence seminars will help you learn how to organise your thoughts and use words that will grab the attention of your audience this will also assist in making the process much easier.

 Where does the fear come from?

Often it comes from a previous bad experience; it will defiantly arise if the speaker caught on the hop has nothing prepared. It helps to practice speaking "off the cuff"  because unless they are well practiced in the art of speaking off the cuff it is impossible to gather your thoughts quickly.

The fear of speaking in public is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time.

Flight or fight are the thoughts that come to mind subconsciously

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Start thinking you can do things. When people believe in themselves they learn the first secret of success.

 Those of us lucky enough to have felt the fear and done it anyway, know that the fear is always there. For us it no longer makes the voice dry up, the total memory loss take over, or the physical elements of blushing, stammering and dripping like a lost tap take place.

This is because we have learnt how to make the butterflies fly in formation and work for us instead of against us. Speak-with-Confidence helps anyone with the fear factor overcome their presentation problems by addressing the questions above.

Once people know why they are frightened of anything, it is then much easier to tackle the fear by eliminating the triggers that cause the fear.

This blogg is set up in order to explore the question of fear of public speaking and how to overcome it.

Additions to the blogg from those who have the fear and those who have overcome it will be a useful reference for all of those involved in the art of communication

Meg Heyworth...How Finding Her Voice Led To Her Vocation

Had the phrase 'deferred success' been around when Meg Heyworth was a young girl, then it would certainly have been attached to her. Dyslexia, the real barrier to her achieving educational success, was not recognised then. So Meg progressed through school, underachieving in both writing and reading, none the wiser for the real, deep underlying reason for this.

But as is so often the way with naturally gifted people, an opportunity presents itself to really thrive. In Meg's case, she found her voice, or to be more precise, she found the power in her voice. It started inauspiciously, with Meg entering and winning her school's regular public speaking competitions. So began what has now turned into a lifelong passion for public speaking.

Speak-with-confidence

Fast forward to 2005 and Meg's passion has now become a fully- fledged business aptly named, Speak-With-Confidence. On the way to forming this business, Meg has achieved an MBA from the Durham Business School. The 'mid-life crisis' that so many people encounter, was in fact a mid-life opportunity for Meg. The MBA also enabled her to lay the ghosts of those early years of schooling to rest. Meg's 50th birthday was celebrated with her MBA certificate and official recognition that dyslexia was at the root of her learning difficulties.

Hyde Park meets Thomas The Tank Engine!

Fuelled with her MBA and her growing confidence for public speaking, Meg embarked on a programme of self-development, a programme that included attending the Brighton and Hove Toastmasters' Club. There she progressed from a beginner to an advanced Toastmaster in just 14 months (the norm is 36) In January 2007 Meg was awarded Gold status from Toastmasters when she gave her 40th speech at the Brighton & Hove Club.

In June 2004, she was invited to present her thought provoking paper on 'original thinking skills' to a rapt audience that included Edward De Bono. There was also another achievement in that year for Meg, one that saw her standing on the infamous soap- box at Hyde Park Corner, addressing the bemused passers by, with a speech about Thomas The Tank Engine. Fresh from this, Meg founded the Eastbourne Speakers Club. Today the club has chartered and has 20 members and a growing number of attendees.

Passing the message on

Profiting from her passion for public speaking, by helping others to achieve success, has been the final piece in the jigsaw of Meg Heyworth's life to date. Speak-With-Confidence coaches a wide spectrum of business people, from Directors who want to brush up on their skills and manage their nerves more effectively, to newly promoted team leaders, now in a position requiring effective public speaking and presentation skills. Meg coaches on a one to one basis, in small groups and in seminar style presentations to audiences that range in size from twenty people to two hundred.

10 steps to speaking success

Meg has developed a 10 step approach to public speaking where each individual can identify the step they are currently on, and the step that they would like to progress to. In her evening seminars, Meg focuses on two steps at a time. Her approach is relaxed, informative and interactive. Meg's background enables her to put every person that she coaches at ease, in a matter of minutes. Once relaxed, they visibly soak up everything that the session has to offer. Improvements are noticeable in just two short sessions. The biggest confidence boosters that delegates cite, after being coached by Meg are a big reduction in their nerves, and a practical awareness of how to use vocal tone and body language to maintain audience attention.