Did you know that Public Speaking is one of the most common fears that people have. For some speaking in public can be a terrifying prospect – for many people the moment they are asked to do it, starts a rapid pattern or series of thought processes that might see them get into a right state. It might give people sleepless nights, or perhaps become really irritable. It’s amazing how a few simple changes to your thinking can make a massive difference.
Public Speaking Fears are quite common …
I coached a gentleman that had set up a business. He was amazing at what he did, his knowledge was second to know, he was well regarded in his area of expertise (I didn’t understand the first thing about what he did, but that’s the great thing about being a coach, you don’t have to be an subject matter expert). He was terrified of presenting in front of people. He’d had a bad experience previously. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the most terrifying thing for him – this was a 10. If you spoke to him about presenting, he’d go pale, clammy and you could feel his anxiety. He wanted me to help him overcome his fear of public speaking, because it was holding him back – like most business leaders, he needed to be able to do this and do it well. It took me about 60 mins to help him get rid of his fear of public speaking and ensure he felt confident and calm whenever he took to the stage – the next day I saw him present – he enjoyed it, smiled and told me he’d never have been able to do that without the support I’d given him.
Why do I tell you this story – not because I want you to know how amazing I am at helping people. I tell you because I want you to know you’re not on your own if you also experience this fear and I want you to know you can change how you feel about public speaking. I am on a crusade so that people no longer let fear rule their life and stops them doing things. I want you to be able to see, hear and experience all that life has to offer.
My top tips to help you with Public speaking …
- Stance: when you stand to speak;
- make sure your feet are shoulder width apart
- distribute your weight evenly into both feet
- keep your hands by your side (so that your audience isn’t distracted by hand waving)
- Look up and connect with your audience by looking at them (rather than being buried in your notes)
… you’ll find this gives you a firmer frame from which to talk – if you feel more secure, you’ll feel more and sound more confident.
On the NLP Business Diploma and NLP Practitioner course we teach you more tips on how to 
confidently speak in public – from language skills, to how to create stories that people will love (and help you get your message across) to the best structure to use to present (you don’t need powerpoint for this structure), as well as tips on how to project your voice and more. On the NLP Practitioner course you will also learn how get rid of limiting beliefs such as ‘I can’t present’ or internal conflicts like ‘part of me thinks I’m good at presenting and part of me things I’m rubbish’. You’ll learn how to get yourself into a resourceful state (or feeling) – such as feeling confident though using anchoring techniques, or use Richard Bandler’s famous swish pattern technique which could help you feel calm and confident, instead of nervous and unsure for example. These are just some examples of how NLP can help you. There is no need to fear public speaking – NLP can help!
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Laura is passionate about helping people realise their potential, and achieve the results they deserve. She believes, if you change your thinking, you can change your results. If you’d like to find out more about Unleash Your Potential, you can check out our NLP courses and coaching options, and link up with us via our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or link up with Laura via LinkedIn. You can of course also email us at: [email protected]
