THE CHAMPIONS SERIES 76, TOPIC: POWER OF SELF- CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING.

 

POWER OF SELF- CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING.

Introduction:

Communication is the stronghold of all kinds of relationship, be it marital, friendship, career etc. Relationships are sustained and maintained by effective communication. Your ability to clearly and confidently articulate your thought, puts you at a vantage position, it gives you an edge, wherever you find yourself. No matter how educated your speech maybe, if you're unable to articulate it or share it with your audience, it is useless, or let me say, no matter how sophisticated your speech or idea is, if you cannot articulate it clearly or precisely because of fear or shyness, it is valueless.

You must learn to speak and express yourself confidently. You can do it.

Welcome to today's session.

Public speaking is an act that can be mastered by anyone, all you need are;

1. Believe in yourself

2. Dedication toward becoming a better version of yourself

3. Ready to learn and unlearn.

According to the English mini dictionary, confidence is defined as an Expression or feeling of certainty.

Confidence is not something anyone is born with; we all grow into it and it became part of us. And the truth is that nobody can be 100 per cent confidence at all times, even the best of public speakers still battle with nervousness sometimes before going up to address their audience.

Robert Schuller was invited to speak to an audience of Agricultural businessmen and women after he was introduced, he was blank, he stood before audience blank because he could not figure out what to tell them, finally he said, “Tough time never last, but tough people do.” Everyone stood up to celebrate for him, that statement has since been written into a book.

Never allow your fear conquers you, but instead, wield it like a tool and use it to your advantage.

WHY DO WE NEED TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING?

There are 1001 reasons why you should build confidence and these reasons are inexhaustible, but I will not fail to list some of the reasons, some of which are;

To get the attention of your audience: in other to get the attention of your audience, you must present yourself confidently, even if you don’t have much to say, they will be compelled to listen to what you say.

If you appear with fear written over your face, your audience Can easily notice it and that alone can put them off, immediately their interest in whatever you want to pass across will be fade away.

You'll be composed: Your level of composure is determined by your confidence. If you approach your audience with fear, it makes you look unprepared, even if you have prepared so hard for your speech or presentation. Haven’t seen intelligent students who were asked to come before the whole class to do a presentation, but it was as if they forgot everything, even they’re well abreast with it?

While in school whenever we were shared into groups for presentation, the intelligent ones who are shy would do the whole research and then hand it over, sometimes even beg those average students who confident to represent the group, and when it comes to the time of question, the average the student will stylishly direct all the questions to his group knowing fully well that the intelligent students will rescue him.

Once you lose composure, you will;

a. Sound uninteresting

b. Lose focus

c. You will bore your audience

And then you are likely to forget important statements.

When you're composing you can easily command the attention of your audience.

3. It enables you to flow with the crowd and carry them along:

Your ability to carry along your audience is a reflection of how prepared, skilled and confident you are.

CONFIDENT BODY LANGUAGE:

You'll notice that professional public speakers look relaxed and confident, they talk slowly and make positive body movements.

In other for you to appear confident:

1. Maintain eye contact with the audience

2. Use gestures to emphasize your points

3. Move around the stage

4. Match facial expressions with what you're saying

5. Reduce nervous habits

6. Slowly and steadily breathe

7. Use your voice aptly

TIPS OF SPEAKING CONFIDENTLY

It is imperative to take note of these five tips; they have indeed helped me in my public speaking endeavours and even discussion with friends, colleagues, professionals of different fields, boss etc.

1. Get your audience laughing

In my experience, I've found that opening with a joke always starts a speech off in the right direction. It immediately lightens the mood in the room and helps me relax. There is something about looking out in the audience and seeing smiling faces that helps create a bond -- particularly if I can get the audience to join me in laughing at myself. Laugh at yourself is incredibly self-deprecating, and if you get others to join you in that laughter, then it creates a level of trust. The laughter allows your attendees to break down the wall that forces them to see themselves as vastly different from you. Know what works for you, you can tell a story or give a riddle or even act drama, do some time that will capture their attention and relieve of any form of tension

2. Focus on people who are nodding.

When you feel like you aren't connecting with your audience it can be extremely nerve-wracking. And your nerves can be taken to a whole other level if there are people who appear completely disinterested. You can often lookout in the audience and find a few people who are nodding along with your story or points. There is a real sense of reassurance when someone is agreeing with you. And the more you focus on these individuals, the more confident you sound. And the more confident you sound, the more people you attract. Partway through your talk, you could likely find a room full of people nodding along with you or sitting on the edge of their seats hanging on your every word.

3. Be expressive with your emotions.

When I first started speaking, I can admit that I was nervous, of cause everybody is, even zig Zigler. Sometimes I watched videos of my speeches and presentations and realized that I sounded and looked nervous. There are times that no matter what you tell yourself to calm your concerns, it just doesn't work. Anxieties aren't always the easiest thing to quell. I realized that I was just more prone to tensions when I kicked off my presentations. I often couldn't stop the tensions, but I found that I could hide them. Playing up my emotions by really getting into the excitement of my story or working to honestly feel the disappointment I had experienced, I was able to mask the jitters. It's much easier to hide one emotion with another than it is to hide an emotion by suppressing it. Don’t suppress your emotion, utilize it, when you make it a tool, soon it will disappear but not completely.

4. Practice, practice, practice.

There are many people that believe that speaking is something you are good at or not. I have learned through personal experience that speaking is something you can build up -- but, you have to be willing to put in the time. When I started speaking I realized I needed to work on my skills so I studied books, read articles especially about those who are successful in public speaking, and offered to speak for free. After each engagement, I'd review the videos to see what I could improve. Just as in school, sports and business, the more I practised, the more confident I was and the better I'd perform. I realized that speaking should be no different. With more and more practice delivering speeches, I could visibly see my performances improving. And you can't help but gain self-esteem and confidence with the more experience you have.

5. Be prepared if you make a mistake.

One of the most important lessons I learned as a speaker is that you should be vast and original, never try to be like others, and always be yourself. No matter how professional someone is and how long they have spoken, everyone makes mistakes. And the mistakes actually make people appear more human and come across as more relatable.

In conclusion I would say, do not best up yourself when you make mistake, everyone makes mistake in this business, nobody is 100% perfect. Accept your mistakes and grow, don’t try to deny them. The more mistakes you make and improve on, the more you build your confidence.

POWER OF SELF-CONFIDENCE

Self-Assessment: How confident are you in public speaking?

In space below each statement, enter the number in the rating scale that best represents your feelings about each statement.

Not concerned 1 2 3 4 5 extremely concerned

1. ------- I will forget what I plan to say.

2. ------- my thoughts will confuse listeners.

3. ------- My words will offend listeners.

4. --------I'm going to embarrass myself.

5. --------I will bite my audience.

6. --------My idea will have no impact.

7. -------My voice and body will shake uncontrollably.

8. -------I will look foolish in front of my audience because I won't be able to look them in the eyes and I won't know to do with my eyes.

9. ------ They will laugh at my spoke English, because I don't know how to speak.

10. -------- My voice is too tiny or loud

11. The audience will stare at me unresponsively.

12. My heart will fly out of my chest.

TOTAL: ------

To determine your score add the numbers you selected.

41-50 you have speech anxiety

31-40 you are very apprehensive

21-30 you are concerned to a normal extent

10-20 you are very confident.

Although this self-survey is not 100% perfect it can help you to some extent know the reason for your stage fright.

NUGGETS ON THE POWER OF SELF-CONFIDENCE

1.  "Always visualize yourself giving a successful speech days, hours, minutes beforehand to help combat public speaking anxiety."

2. "Think you can or think you can't; either way you will be right." Henry Ford.

3. "There are two types of speakers- those that are nervous and those that are liars." Mark Twain

Nerves are not your enemy. Face them, control them, and control them, and you transform normal anxiety into a positive.

WHY ARE SOME PERSONS AFRAID TO ADDRESS AN AUDIENCE OR STAND BEFORE A GROUP OF PEOPLE?

The answer is fear. Fear can be classified into different types, so of which are;

1. Fear of failure

2. Fear of the unknown

3. Fear of evaluation

4. Fear of criticism

5. Fear of being the centre of attention

6. Fear of difference

7. Fear impose by culture.

Which one are you a victim of, it's time to put it away and take the bull by the horn to become that great speaker you were meant to be.

Don't allow anything to come between you and your goal.

Ladies and gentlemen I'll like to end on this note, but before I go I'll leave you all with these nuggets;

1. There is no flawless public speaker in the world.

2. The best public speakers are those who know how to use fear to their advantage.

3. Positivity is the mother of creativity.

4. Believe in yourself and groom yourself.

5. Learn and unlearn, never stop learning. Knowledge frightens fear.

6. Practice makes perfect, always prepare for every public speaking engagement, it gives you a level of confidence.

7. Never look down on yourself, no matter the calibre of people you're speaking to.

8. Merely reading and talking about public speaking won't make you a better speaker. Only involving yourself in the process and doing it will help you improve.

Recommended Book: The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie

WRITTEN BY Clarkson O. Adebayo Esq.