CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 15, 2021(PT.5)
Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright
When you go to a class at a University or Junior College, you might get to speak three times in a 12 week class, and after each speech, you’ll get the dreaded constructive criticism. So that way will take a while as well. However, if you want gain presentation skills quickly, find a way to deliver four to six presentations with a really good coach in a short period of time. Ideally, if you can do it in a couple of days, you’ll grow quickly. However, I’ve seen people have a lot of success by setting up a series of weekly speeches at the office or as a guest speaker at a Rotary Club or Chamber of Commerce meeting to get practice.
The truth is that the time it will take you to become a great speaker depends entirely on how many times and how often you speak, and how many of these instances are successes.
If We Used “Normal” Presentation Skills Teaching to Develop Other Important Skills
Here’s an example of another type of training that would be ridiculous if we tried it the way that most people attempt to gain public speaking skills. Let’s say that we use “normal” public speaking techniques to teach someone how to drive a car. (You can insert any skill into this example, by the way — learning to ride a bike, operating a computer for the first time, building something, baking a cake for the first time, etc.)
Myth #1: Good Drivers have a Natural Talent.
If we sent every 16 year-old kid out onto the freeway with no training. A few of them might do well, but most are going to have crashing failures. The few that do well will be seen as “Born Drivers,” but the rest would be scared spitless of driving.
Myth #2: I’m More Nervous than Everyone Else.
If you’re one of the 90% who had a failure on the freeway, but you still see a lot of people driving, you might believe you are the only one who is scared.
Myth #3: Constructive Criticism is the Best Way to Improve.
Again, you’re still one of the 90% who just had the hair-raising experience on the freeway. Now you sit down in a classroom as one of your peers (or a teacher) rips apart your experience and tells you every little thing that you did wrong. Feeling better about the experience now?
Myth #4: Video Tape Feedback for Driving is Valuable.
Now you go back and watch the video of your fiery crash. I wouldn’t blame you if you never drove again.
Myth #5: It Takes Years to Become a Great Driver.
If, after you had the above experience, you only attempted to drive once every three months or so for about two minutes at a time, guess what? It will take a LOOOOOONG time to get better. Sadly, you probably never will.
Instead, get a good coach who you trust and conquer the fear now — just like you did when you were 15 or 16 years-old and you took driver’s education. Remember the techniques that we used back then? We got a little training and practiced with a coach right away, and we didn’t move on until we had a success. Remember, you couldn’t leave the school parking lot until you got really good at pulling in and out of a parking space.
