When it comes to public speaking, many of us are our own worst critics. Audiences generally accept and appreciate our best efforts, but we impose perfectionist thoughts and standards that make us feel like it’s not OK to just be ourselves when we speak. These posts, from 100 Top Public Speaking Tips, will help you battle perfectionist tendencies, Read More
Fear of Public Speaking and Self-Criticism
You Want to Speak in Public But Fear Is Holding You Back? How to Overcome Your Stage Fright
Whether your fear of public speaking manifests as a tortured sense of self-doubt or a full-blown case of the hives, FEAR is one of the experiences public speakers hate most. These posts, from 100 Top Public Speaking Tips, will help you put fear in its place! Public Speaking Tip 9: Embrace the Stress What, besides experience, is Read More
Fear of Public Speaking Is Like Having a Fractured Foot
Back when I was a jazz singer, trumpeter Stan Shafran gave me some priceless advice. He said, “You’ll rarely feel perfect, physically, on a gig. So the trick is to sing your best with the body you’ve got at that moment, not with the perfect body you wish you had.” My Fractured Foot “Made Me” Read More
Public Speaking Tip 33: Don’t Panic about Public Speaking Panic!
Two clients called me recently, both in a panic about panicking. Joe and Stephanie are very different types of people, but they’d had similar experiences. Each had been giving a series of speeches — and getting great feedback — when suddenly, just before another talk, each of them was blindsided by what they described as Read More
Public Speaking Tip 21: For Great Public Speaking, Go to the Edge of Defeat
Does the idea of public speaking make you want to (metaphorically) jump off a cliff? Lots of people feel that way, which is why my book, Speak Like Yourself… No, Really!, tells you emphatically not to jump! Now, generally speaking, this is good advice. There’s are lots of times to not jump, including: When you get a public Read More