In a discussion group recently, one of the participants expressed a desire to overcome his lack of confidence when he has to speak to a group. When I mentioned that I had written a whole book on the subject that includes a raft of helpful tips for overcoming fear and building self-confidence, his immediate reaction was, “Oh, I don’t like sexy, thank you.”
Is it possible that the fear of public speaking is sometimes so great that even when faced with theopportunity to improve their skills at minimum cost and effort, folks are just too plain scared totake that important leap forward and just do it?
Many folks know they'd be much more successful in their business if they could get up in front of the room to promote it. Yet when it comes to actually talking to a roomful of strangers, whether around a table at a networking meeting, on their feet at a mixer or as the guest speaker at an industry function, they absolutely refuse. Why is that?
Speaking with confidence is a lot easier than you think. Yes, really! Speaking with flair and flamboyance may take a little practice, but standing up in front of an audience feeling poised and sure of yourself is remarkably easy when you know the Four Principles of Practical Positive Speaking.
When your boss says to you, "You've got to give a speech next week," does your heart sink to the floor? When your department manager says, "I'm counting on your talk next Tuesday to get our new project off with a bang," do you want to run for the hills or sink into a rather large hole and not come up until Wednesday?
You know what everybody says: If you aren't speaking in public, you're missing out on one of the best marketing tools for yourself and your business. If you're not out there letting people see and hear the real you, up close and personal, you're probably leaving a pile of sales on the table and won't you be sorry at the end of the year when you calculate your bottom line?