Public speaking, media training, presentation training, crisis communications
Archive for category Fear of Speaking
Forget The Unrealistic Role Models
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Presentation Skills Training, Professional Speakers on March 25, 2011
A frequently discussed phenomenon involves teenage girls who look up to to 6′ 3″ 90 pound super models as role models. These genetic freaks are obviously not ideal role models for girls with normal bone structures. The results? Anorexia and bulimia.
Something similar happens when it comes to my clients who are trying to improve their public speaking and media skills. When they hear the audio recording of their voices, they often form a strong and passionate dislike for their own voices. But it’s not because there is anything wrong with their voices. The real problem is their standard of comparison.
Bad Speech. Great Q & A Session
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking Skills on March 21, 2011
One thing I hear all of the time from my presentation training clients is “I’m not great at the prepared section of my speech, but I feel I truly excel during the question and answer session. I feel more comfortable then and people tell me that I seem exceptionally strong and convincing during question time.”
This is a common speaker malady. Ideally, you are no better at answering questions after a speech than you are in giving your prepared speech because you are EQUALLY excellent during both parts of the presentation. There is nothing inherently harder or easier about answering questions or delivering the structured part of your speech. It is not as though someone in the audience is requiring you to deliver the first half of your speech with a mouth full of marbles and then you are allowed to spit them out before taking questions.
There Are No Little Speeches, Only Little Speakers
Posted by TJ Walker in Audio, Fear of Speaking on March 13, 2011
Shut Up! — Business Presentations
Posted by TJ Walker in CEOs/Financial, Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking Skills on March 6, 2011
For most 10-20 minute business presentations, you don’t have much time, so every moment must count. But at some point in your career, you may be asked to lead a seminar that is three hours in length or even longer. You can not prepare the same way as you do a normal speech. It’s not that giving a three hour seminar is 9 times harder than giving a 20 minute speech. Each type of presentation is a different beast.
When you are conducting a seminar, you must give your participants a lot more to do than simply sit there and look at you. You must engage them with actions, exercises, activity and motion. Otherwise, they will fall asleep.
A Few Notes on Using Notes
Posted by TJ Walker in Audio, Fear of Speaking on February 26, 2011
TJ Walker gives tips on how to use notes when giving a speech.
I Hate My Voice! — Fear of Speaking
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Presentation Skills Training, Public Speaking Skills on February 23, 2011
At least once a week one of my trainees tells me “I hate my voice.” This is usually followed by a solemn declaration that somehow all recording voices distort his or her voice in an unflattering matter.
What’s going on here?
Don’t Be Afraid of Large Audiences
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking Skills on February 21, 2011
Too many people convince themselves that they “can’t speak in front of large crowds.”
Baloney!
Bad and Worse Reviews
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, reputation management on February 20, 2011
If you speak long enough to groups in-person or on TV or radio, you are likely to offend somebody. If you are on a TV or radio show that has a call-in format, you might be called a fascist or a communist, simply for expressing a mild preference for a mainstream political figure. If you are giving a speech, someone in the audience may ask you a threatening question, or worse, try to shout you down.
These problems occur more frequently for politicians and political commentators (as a former political commentator, I received my share of death threats, on-air rants, and Nazi-sympathizing stalkers), but they can also happen to local business people, developers, and civic leaders.
Coping With Extreme Fear: Public Speaking Advice
Posted by TJ Walker in Audio, Fear of Speaking on February 20, 2011
Listen for tips and advice to deal with a fear of public speaking.
When to Admit Mistakes
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Presentation Skills Training, Professional Speakers, Public Speaking Skills on February 19, 2011
Most speakers go to one of two extremes when it comes to making mistakes in front of audiences.
1. Instantly calling attention to mistakes by apologizing, wincing, and generally beating yourself up, or 2. Putting on a front of perfection and denying that you have ever made a mistake about anything, ever, under any circumstances.
In the first case, your audience is distracted not by your mistakes, but by your reaction to your own mistakes. You slow down the presentation because audience members are now focusing on your reaction to your own mistakes. You might get points for humility, but you lose points because fewer messages are delivered.
Rapport Is Key
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Presentation Skills Training, Professional Speakers on February 18, 2011
When speaking, building rapport with your audience is crucially important. Average and below average speakers spend all of their time focused on writing and rewriting their content. Great speakers care about content too, but they realize that the first order of business is building rapport with an audience. Once you build rapport, your audience becomes receptive to your content. Without rapport, none of your content will sink in.
Your concern for rapport should affect everything you do from the moment you walk into the room where you will be speaking. Greet as many people as possible who are coming into the room to hear you speak. If it is a new audience for you, and the group is fewer than 30 people, then greet every single person and try to have a brief conversation with them. Talk substance with a few of them. Then, try to weave their comments into your presentation.
Tips to Consider before Name Calling
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Media Training, Video on February 15, 2011
Here are some guidelines to consider before attacking someone in the media.
Indian Foreign Minister Reads the Wrong speech at the United Nations
Posted by TJ Walker in Analysis, Best Speaker of the Day, Communications, Fear of Speaking, Foreign Languages, Government & Politics on February 15, 2011
This is one of the funniest and most bizarre public speaking stories I’ve ever heard of. The Indian Foreign Minister picked up the Portuguese Foreign Minister’s speech and read the dang thing like it was his own in front of the UN Security Council.
Wow, I know that UN speeches are supposedly thought to be boring and that no one pays attention to them. Still, if you read a speech filled with references to your country and it’s obviously another country, people will notice.
“Never Read A Speech”
Posted by TJ Walker in Fear of Speaking, Presentation Skills Training, Public Speaking Skills on February 10, 2011
Never read a speech to your audience. Never read a speech. NEVER READ A SPEECH!
I say that all the time to my clients. Every presentation coach says this. Why?
Deliver a Great Job Interview
Posted by TJ Walker in Analysis, Communications, Fear of Speaking, Help, Public Speaking Skills on February 8, 2011
Make that next job interview a knock out! this and more viewer questions answers on Today’s show.
Eliminate Your Fear of Public Speaking
Posted by TJ Walker in Analysis, celebrities, Communications, Fear of Speaking, Help, Humor, Public Speaking Skills, Video on January 18, 2011
TJ walker gives advise on how to rid yourself of public speaking fears, communicate more intimately with audiences and to be wary of humor!
Smile Your Way to Speech Success
Posted by TJ Walker in Body Language, Fear of Speaking, Public Speaking Skills on December 29, 2010
You are about to give a big speech and you are understandably tensed up. You are thinking and thinking and memorizing, and focusing, focusing, focusing. If you were any tenser you’d break in two.
You know this and you feel this, but don’t show your audience. Remember, your audience can’t read your mind or see inside your knotted stomach. They will never know about your sorry psychological state if you wear a mask. You don’t have to buy a rubber Halloween mask or take a trip to Africa for a wood carved one.
Man Calls 911 and Asks for the Media to Be Arrested
Posted by TJ Walker in advertising, Analysis, Audio/Video Technology, Authors Corner, Best Speaker of the Day, blogging, Body Language, Communications, Crisis Communications, Debate Central, Fear of Speaking on December 29, 2010
This is a funny story out of, you guessed it, Florida. Prediction, this guy can hire the same publicist, agent, manager, and speaker bureau of “Joe the Plumber.” If the 911 guys plays it right, he could get a talk radio show out of this and end up as….Sarah Palin’s running mate?
Gawker headline: Who Will Save New Jersey While Chris Christie Eats Mickey Mouse?
Posted by TJ Walker in advertising, Analysis, Audio/Video Technology, Authors Corner, Best Speaker of the Day, blogging, Body Language, celebrities, CEOs/Financial, Communications, Crisis Communications, Debate Central, Fear of Speaking, Government & Politics on December 28, 2010
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I was the first one to predict that Christie would get “snowed under’ with criticism for his decision to fly off to Disney World on Sunday when the storm was on the way to his state of New Jersey. Now the snow is turning into an avalanche of attacks on the governor’s political judgement. Should have listened Governor.
Alvin Greene to run for office again in South Carolina
Posted by TJ Walker in advertising, Analysis, Audio/Video Technology, Authors Corner, Best Speaker of the Day, blogging, Body Language, celebrities, CEOs/Financial, Fear of Speaking, Government & Politics on December 28, 2010
Some people love to run for office even though their candidacy is a joke. It’s one thing to do it one time. But to do it on a serial basis become pathetic. Alvin Greene apparently likes to be in the limelight in order to do media interviews (however awful the were) and to give speeches.
Perhaps he finds this enhances his social life to the point where he doesn’t have time to send pornography to young women?
Suggestion to Green: if you want to speak out, join a Toastmasters club and stop bothering voters.
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