Most people would rather be IN the casket than giving the eulogy
Public speaking is a vulnerable, risky experience. You stand when other people are sitting. Their eyes are on you – and ONLY you. You move from being a conversationalist to being a performer. You assume a position of authority and leadership that can be uncomfortable and downright scary.
The prospect of speaking in front of an audience can strike fear in the hearts of the most able professional.
In the “Indiana Jones” movies, actor Harrison Ford battles a variety of creeping, crawling, snarling, shooting and flame-throwing two, four and no-legged adversaries. He admits, however, that when forced to appear before a live audience, he is terrified.
The majority of people in the United States are just like Harrison Ford. Actually, many would probably volunteer to be designated catchers at javelin-throwing contests before agreeing to speak before an audience, regardless of the size of the group.
The fear of public speaking is always listed as one of the top three American phobias (way above the fear of death, which is usually rated as the seventh most common phobia). The comedian Jerry Seinfeld observed, “Most of us would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” People’s fears usually stem from the belief that they are certain — if forced to appear in front of an audience — they will be totally ineffective, look foolish, lose their place or begin to ramble. The list of projected fears can be endless.
You CAN learn to speak in public. You simply have to invest some time and effort and have the tools and techniques necessary to craft a presentation persona.
The ability to connect with an audience of 2 or 2000 can make a difference in both your personal and professional lives. Contracts are awarded, products are bought, and people are hired because of the comfort level established in a presentation. Because few of us have speech training, we don’t know how to establish a comfort level that helps us become more effective communicators and persuaders. I’ll talk more about this in upcoming blog entries.
