Slay your speaking fears

Some people would rather jump out of a perfectly safe plane than get up and speak in front of an audience.

Personally, I’d prefer to speak in public than face a spider or a snake - or bungy jump.

It seems that most people rank public speaking as their number one fear, well ahead of their fear of dying.

Yet there are no recorded cases of people dying as a result of speaking in public. Okay, perhaps there have been a few embarrassing moments, some hot flushes or total amnesia ... but definitely no deaths.

People generally fear public speaking because it’s a new experience and they’re afraid they’ll either appear foolish, or bore the audience.

Stage fright is just nervous energy – a beating heart, butterflies in your stomach and the shakes - it’s the same adrenalin rush that sends extra blood and oxygen to your muscles and brain, which allows you to think and respond quickly.

You can therefore use this energy and channel it into your preparations for delivering a great speech.

Here are some tips on how you can control stage fright:

• Practice, practice, practice;

• Imagine presenting an effective speech, the same way an athlete imagines winning a gold medal;

• Use relaxation techniques - focus on parts of the body that feel tense, then tense and release that area; inhale and stretch your arms to the ceiling, exhale, bend and touch your toes; drop your head to your chest and roll to the right, back, left in a circle, then reverse; breathing from the diaphragm reduces shortness of breath and supports your voice;

• Come along to a Toastmasters meeting.

Even if you’re feeling nervous, the audience usually won’t notice – unless you faint. Or have an onstage dual with the Toastmasters International President.

People are often unaware of signs that you think are embarrassingly obvious, but if you walk and speak confidently, the audience won’t know that your palms are sweaty and your heart is pounding madly.

Now take a deep breath, walk up to the podium and leap into your next speech!

And remember, there are no proven cases of Death by Public Speaking.

Photo: Queensland's own 2009 World Champion of Public Speaking Mark Hunter (left) lost an onstage light sabre dual with Toastmasters International President Gary Schmidt at the District Convention held in Caloundra from 30 April-3 May.