Recently, I heard three people give a 5-minute presentation to a roomful of potential clients. They were a financial advisor, a business consultant, and a mortgage broker. Each had a different area of expertise, a different style of speaking, and each spoke directly to the audience, with good eye contact, an easy-to-listen-to voice and a friendly manner.Yet they all made one common mistake that could easily have been avoided.      

      They tried to say too much in too short a time.

      It's an easy trap to fall into, especially when you're 'on the clock', and you have so much good stuff to share with the audience. You really want them to know all the benefits of working with you. You need them to appreciate your years of experience and knowledge, and to understand that you really are the expert they need. Unfortunately, five minutes isn't long enough to give all the information you want them to have. Or is it?

      It's not what you say, but how you say it.

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      President Teddy Roosevelt once said, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick." Good advice for diplomatic relations with foreign countries, but not so much when we're speaking in public.

       Have you ever had to listen to a speaker in front of a group with lots to say that you really wanted to hear, but his volume was permanently turned down to low? For example, in a relatively intimate situation, say a private room in a restaurant or a small conference room, where there really isn't any need for a microphone? There you are, sitting only about 3 or 4 feet from the speaker, but you can hardly hear him. In a larger room it's worse.  If someone raises a hand or calls out to ask the presenter to speak louder, he complies for a few words, and then goes right back to the just above a whisper level. Why doesn't the speaker talk louder, especially after being asked to speak up?

      Believe it or not, he probably doesn't realize he can't be heard. He's so busy focusing on just getting through it that he's not thinking about the audience at all. It's a very common problem for folks who believe, "They're going to judge me and I'm going to fail," or "They're not going to be interested in what I have to say," or "I really don't want to do this, but I have to for my job, so I'll just get it over with." People who seem unable to speak loud enough to be heard are often convinced that what they have to say will not come out right or have no merit.  If they speak softly, maybe no one will notice.   

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     Why is it that some speakers hold your attention with no effort at all while others made you work to stay awake? Some make you feel like the most important person in the audience, while others look like they wish they were anyplace else but here.     

     Unfortunately, many people feel that speaking in public is like walking barefoot on hot coals. You can actually see their discomfort. They can't stand still. They're constantly shifting their balance from one foot to the other, like marching in place.

     For others, standing in front of an audience is like facing a firing squad. They plant themselves on a spot and freeze, afraid to move an inch or they might get shot. Or they hide behind the lectern or podium, afraid to come out from behind its protective shield to get closer to their listeners.

     Then there are those who seem perfectly comfortable, but they can't figure out where to put their hands. They lean on the podium, fiddle with their glasses, juggle their slide pointer, run their hands through their hair, hitch up their slacks, scratch an itch, cough, blink, and display other mannerisms which only distract you from hearing what they're saying. 

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     When you have to give a speech, do you ever worry about anything like this? 

"If I make a mistake, the audience will think I'm stupid."

"I have an accent. They won't listen to me or understand what I'm saying."

"They'll see how nervous I am and think I'm incompetent."

"English is not my first language. If I say things wrong, they'll laugh at me."

"I just know the audience is going to judge me and decide I'm no good."

        If you've ever thought any of this, be comforted. You're not alone. Fear of what the audience is thinking is one of the most common reasons that folks refuse to get up to speak in front of a group. And it's a shame, because 9 times out of 10, the audience is thinking none of those things.

        Why did they come to hear you speak in the first place?  Doesn't matter whether they're required to come, i.e. to a company meeting, or they chose to come because you're speaking on a topic they're interested in, or they're there for some other reason. The truth is they came because you have something to say that they want to hear.

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            David is president of his own company which he built from the ground up. He speaks to large groups of employees at his satellite offices and is also invited to address meetings of his professional organizations from time to time. He's not afraid of public speaking; he's confident and entertaining and always receives positive feedback from his audiences.

            But in the middle of his talk, when he thinks he's moving along swimmingly, he'll suddenly experience hot flashes, light-headedness, a pounding heart, and forget what he's supposed to say next. He feels embarrassed, is sure the audience thinks he's incompetent, and while he manages to recover and get through the rest of his speech, he feels like a failure.

            It has happened so often that he now waits expectantly for the moment when he knows he's going to blow it, usually about halfway through his speech. He can feel himself tensing up, the blood rushing to his head, and try as he might to focus, he knows what's coming and can't seem to avoid it. What's wrong with him?  

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     Why are some people totally comfortable speaking in front of a group but so many of the rest of us are shaking in our boots?

     That question was posed on an Internet forum and it started me thinking. Why are some people so afraid to speak in front of more than 3 people that they'll do anything to avoid it, including not taking a promotion, refusing to attend networking events where they have to describe themselves in 60 seconds or less, give a wedding toast or even deliver a holiday speech at the annual end of the year festivities?

     I used to be one of those, "I'm not going to do it, no way, no how" individuals who thought I would faint in front of a crowd. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Even though I white-knuckled it and forced myself to do it when I had to, I knew there had to be a better way. What did professional public speakers know that I didn't?

     After 15 years as a speaker's coach and speechwriter, I believe there are three basic fears:

1. Making a mistake, saying something wrong, forgetting something important
2. Being judged, criticized, disapproved of, humiliated or ridiculed
3. Feeling like a fraud, not good enough, or not deserving to be standing in front of the group at all

     All of these are very real fears and most of us have experienced one or more of them at various times. But here's the thing:    

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