It is a common misconception that certain people are born good speakers. Yes, I agree that some people have the gift of gab—I could think of a few who have too much of a gift— and seem more natural at it. But make no mistake: Becoming a confident public speaker is achieved only by the desire to become a better speaker, followed by focused effort and a lot of practice. The good news is, your payoff will come quickly, you’ll have fun along the way, and the confidence you develop will improve virtually all areas of your life. Professional speakers, myself included, never stop practicing and honing their speaking skills.
I am a better speaker today than I was five years ago and expect to continue to improve. If you are like most people, you did not have a great firsttime public speaking experience, and the thought of speaking in front of people scares you to death. In fact, according to the Book of Lists, public speaking is the greatest of all fears. More than 41 percent of people polled for the book named public speaking as their number one fear. The fear of dying is number seven on the list! I guess that means people would rather die than get up in front of a group of people to speak.
If you feel this way, you’re not alone. In fact, some of today’s most famous presenters have freely admitted to nervousness and stage fright when it comes to public speaking. You may be saying to yourself right now, There is no way I will be a good speaker. I can never learn to be like those professional speakers; speaking just comes easily to them. Most of us naturally worry about what other people think about us, and this is especially true when we are asked to speak to a group of people. Learning specific techniques to improve your public speaking can help eradicate your fear and help you succeed in your business and personal life.
By- Book 10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking /The Princeton Language Institute and Lenny Laskowski
Produced by The Philip Lief Group, Inc.
