Andrew Rondeau

Andrew is the owner of this website and has been a Leader, Manager, Coach and Consultant for the last twenty-five years.

Conquer The Fear Of Public Speaking

By Andrew Rondeau
Published 09/27/2008

The day arrives when you are going to publicly speak.

You are ready.

Or are you…

…Nervous?

…Anxious?

…Terrified?

…Excited?

Maybe all of the above?

photo courtesy of bejealousofme

You’ve been in that situation before, haven’t you?

You arrived at the venue on time in order to prepare.

You are happy with the visual aids, props, room and room layout.

You have checked how to use the equipment.

You have completed all the planning and preparation required.

You have learned and practised the presentation/speech numerous times, (not too well or it may come across as though you are reading it!!!).

You have made sure you are dressed and groomed appropriately and in keeping with the audience's expectations.

Your notes are all in order.

You are ready to vary the tone of your voice, to lift the energy and inspire your audience.

You are focused on what the audience wants and expects.

But….

…are you ready?

You are still not confident, are you?

It happens to us all.

We are fully prepared but “just not confident enough”.

So how do you boost your confidence?

Think about an event in the past where you did something, which worked out absolutely fantastic for you.

Imagine stepping onto the stage just as confident when you were promoted or just finished a 10 mile run or asked someone out on a date and they said ‘yes’ or receiving great feedback from your boss’s boss.

Well you can and all it takes is practice.

This is an exercise I learned from Dr Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP, which all super successful individuals use.

Know it…use it…and you could be like them.

Try this 5-minute exercise:

Imagine a time when you were super-confident
Remind yourself what happened
What were people saying to you?
How did you feel?
What did you see?
Was there any particular sounds or smells?
Are you painting the picture of when you felt super-confident?
Make the picture really bright and big

How do you feel right now?

More confident then you did 5 minutes ago?

Most probably.

By remembering past experiences and allowing the feelings to spread all over you, you are telling you brain that the experience is happening right now – in this moment.

This is a simple exercise to boost your confidence.

Complete the exercise the next time you are about to step onto the stage.

Be calm, walk on the stage or to the meeting with your head held high and make sure you are smiling.

Now deliver magnificently.

Even if you aren’t planning on becoming the next Daniel Webster or Tony Robbins, Andrew’s free series of videos and his ebook - The Simple Steps To Deliver A Dazzling Presentation - will help you communicate more effectively in those huge presentations, interviews, small groups, or in one on one communication.