Shake off Your Jitters (Pt 2 of 2)

Last week I discussed what the No. 1 fear is for most people, public speaking.
In part 2 of our series, I am going to give you my 3 tips for conquering this fear so you can start rocking the stage.

Mark Twain, who made most of his income from speaking, not writing, said,
“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.”
Let me help you with that nervousness.

I do a lot of keynote presentations. My first company at 18 years old required me to speak publicly many times a week, and I have done it thousands of times since. Most of the businesses I have built compelled me to champion the cause of the business through large group presentations. I am often asked for tips on preparing, packaging and deliveringpresentations, so let me pass forward a few of the tips that have worked for me when it comes to overcoming jitters:

First off, you have to come to terms with this:

Who Cares? (Certainly not the audience).

Someone once told me that the reason why there is NO reason to be nervous is because people care far less than you think. Think about the last time you were in row 30 of an auditorium, in the corner of a boardroom or in the back of some dreary classroom trying desperately not to daydream or fall asleep. You think they are hanging and judging you on your every word, when in reality their greatest hope is that you are close to ending.

Remember this: They’re not judging you as much as you think, because they don’t care as much as you think. I think knowing this helps enormously (whew, feel better already?)

In the super unlikely event that some disaster does happen, something explodes or you trip and fall, at least you know you will have more attention from the audience than in the 30 seconds before. Now you can use that attention to do something good.

Certainly, whatever you say next will be remembered. If nothing else, your tragedy will give the audience something fun and funny to share. The laughter from that story will do more good for the world than most anything your presentation might have done anyway.

Meaning again, look, it’s not a big deal really. The only one making it so is you.
It’s all self-imposed fear conjuring.
Repeat that mantra in your head: no one really cares.

Number two:
Who Do You Think You Are, Anyway?

Here’s another tip someone shared with me about being nervous before speaking:
If you are nervous that means you are being an egotist—making yourself way too important. Instead, you should be making this about the audience. Stop thinking about yourself, your performance and how you will look, and think only about your audience.

Think about them, their problems, fears, hopes, dreams and ambitions.
You are there only to serve them.
The spotlight should be on them, not you.

When you take the spotlight off yourself and make what you are there for about them, not only does your nervousness go away, but you also empathize and connect with your audience better.

Finally number three, and I learned this from John Maxwell when I asked him how he prepares for his keynote presentations. Maxwell says an hour before his presentation, he stops looking at and studying his material and only thinks about his audience.

He envisions them sitting in the audience. He tries to see the stage from their vantage point, what they must be thinking, feeling, hoping for, wanting and not wanting. In other words, he tries to get into their head and heart instead of staying stuck in his head. Ultimately connecting with the audience happens only when you enter the conversation they are already having in their head and once you connect with the desires they already have in their heart.

http://darrenhardy.success.com/2015/04/shake-off-jitters-2/#article