Comments for Public Speaking Secrets

Comment on Does Toastmasters Reduce Public Speaking Fear? by Doug Staneart

Doug Staneart — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:30:31 +0000

Cindy, there is no doubt that Toastmasters helps some people. In fact, over the years, Toastmasters has probably helped hundreds of thousands of people. However, for every success story, there are hundreds of people who come to one session and then quit. There is a good chance that your group has about 30 or 40 members, but at any given time, only 10 to 15 show up. Think about all of the faces who have come through your group in the last few years that you only saw once. Every one of those people came to your group for help, but most are more nervous now than they were then.

In addition, for every success story, there are dozens and dozens of people who give a few speeches and actually INCREASE their fear and finally give up and never come back.

And for every success story, there are a handful of true believer who come over and over for a year and then quit because they just haven’t made a lot of progress.

That is a terrible track-record. If I only helped one out of every 25 or 50 people who came to my public speaking classes, I’d be a miserable failure. If I had to get people to come to my classes for three years to conquer there fear, I’d also be a failure. Folks who come through Fearless Presentations develop more confidence in two days than a Toastmaster will in three years of speeches, and we help 100% of them.

So, yeah, if you have three years of time on your hands and you want to put out a tremendous effort, sure, join Toastmasters. If you want to really conquer your fear, though, get a good public speaking coach.

Comment on Does Toastmasters Reduce Public Speaking Fear? by Cindy

Cindy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:55:51 +0000

Dear Doug,
Having overcome most of my public speaking fears from joining a Toastmasters Club, I was disappointed in how you worded your response. We are not trained, we learn by doing. We are dedicated. And while not everyone has made dramatic improvements, most have. When you follow the manuals and program and are dedicated, the results can be astonishing. I would suggest that offering Toastmasters as an addition to your competent training, would be most valuable to most people. Those few that need extra training will always be looking for a coach. Those of us who are self motivated can learn by watching others.
Cindy Piccolo
Proud Toastmaster in Switzerland

Comment on Everything You've Learned about Public Speaking is Wrong! by Doug

Doug — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:02:15 +0000

Abohadi, thanks for the commen, and you're absolutely correct. The problem that most people have when they prepare a presentation is they tink that the more they write/prepare in advance, the better they will feel when they deliver the presentation. However, the more "canned" the presentation, the more nervous a person will actually feel. So your tip to just prepare your main ideas versus the details is a much better way to prepare. Doug Staneart, America's Fearless Presentations Coach

Comment on Everything You've Learned about Public Speaking is Wrong! by Abohadi

Abohadi — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:47:21 +0000

I think being prepared and focused on your goals are the key to succeed in public speaking.

Instead of writing the details of your talk you can write tha main ideas on cards and arrange them according your goals.

No doubt that nerviousness affects your success in public speaking but by practice you will overcome it.

Comment on Public Speaking Tips: Most Nervousness Doesn't Show by John Zimmer

John Zimmer — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:37:48 +0000

You raise an important point. Many inexperienced speakers will try to compensate for their nervousness by making a comment at the outset along the lines of “I’m not very good at public speaking . . .” or “I haven’t done many presentations . . .” and this is a bad thing to do. You are putting yourself behind the 8 ball before you have even begun.

Dispense with these kinds of comments and jump right in. Most speeches are like university exams. The worst part is just before you go on. Once you start, you usually settle down and get into the flow of things and, as you say, most people will not notice any lingering nervousness.

One more point: the best way to combat nerves is to prepare rigorously beforehand. Being prepared should give you the confidence you need going into the presentation.

Cheers+

John Zimmer
http://mannerofspeaking.wordpress.com/

Comment on Show Up Early to Reduce Public Speaking Fear by Richard Elmes

Richard Elmes — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:52:52 +0000

Excellent points!!!

I find that I can’t start to relax until I know that my computer and PowerPoint is set up and running. (If I am using PowerPoint for that presentation).

Also, if you are already set up before your audience arrives, you can spend more time greeting them which will also help calm you butterflies.

Again, great post!!!

Making a difference,

Richard Elmes
The Sales Dating Guy