Death is final, ultimate and inescapable, and because of
this, understandably, most people fear it.
Yet, although to a lesser and greater degree there is
a fear of death instilled in all of us, in some people this fear
is surpassed by other things. For some it may be a phobia of
Elvis impersonators or a phobia of peanut butter sticking to
the roof of your mouth, but in most it is something far more
common : speaking to an audience.
The findings of an American study revealed that most
people fear public speaking more than death,
In addition, public speaking was found to be the
third most common phobia.
However, unlike death or other phobias, such a fear is
unfounded and rather ironic, considering that public
speaking, in a similar way to death, is something that will
fall on all of us at some stage or another and need not
be the substance of nightmares.
Everyday we are involved in a constant
interaction with other people where we
have to present and sell ourselves. This can be anything from
talking to colleagues about a movie we have
just watched or trying to convince a board of
directors to go with a new proposal.
In either setting, being able to communi-
cate effectively is not just an advantage it
is a key to success. Oral presentations will
always be the most effective means to
persuade audiences.
This is important when reflecting on how a fear of public
speaking can hamper this process. From
an early age we are taught to fear making
speeches or making oral presentations and this is largely
what makes most people ineffective speakers. However, I do
believe that this phobia can be unlearned and with the right
training, anyone can become a good speaker.
I base such claims on my experience as
a coordinator of communication workshops aimed at
enhancing presentation skills.
Lots of the people I have trained have come in with little confidence. It is not uncommon for such people, based on their fear of speaking, to be reluctant to come. They may even cancel their appointments with me a few times before finally plucking up the courage to come, but once they have done the workshop
the change is apparent. It really is a transformation.
In this regard, becoming an effective speaker may very
well be as much a process of learning new techniques, as it
is unlearning old habits and conditioning.
In school we are taught to speak with our hands at our sides. To stand still. To look over our audience. However, these rules don't apply to adults. In school we are told these things because we are children and children can be overly active and have trouble keeping still or suppressing the giggles. Obviously adults have no such problems, yet we still carry the same ideas
about how to present ourselves.
Against the backdrop of a society and culture that is become
increasing characterised by a lowering concentration span,
this holds a problem for anyone wanting to make a public
presentation. The truth is that speaking styles are changing.
We are finding that to maintain an audience's attention,
speakers are having to become more animated and maintain
more eye contact than, for example, in the 1970s. Having said
that, there is just no way that anyone can make an effective oral presentation using the methods we are taught in school.
Of course, making a presentation effective is where the
key lies. In this regard, in her workshops Thompson tries to
establish how important one's communication skills weigh
in on the entire presentation. Regardless of the setting, if
someone does not communicate with their audience properly,
regardless of how good their message is, it will be lost.
This is because only roughly 7% of what we say is through actual words. The rest is through body language and tone of voice.You can take a brilliant doctor or auditor who has written a brilliant presentation, but stumbles through its delivery speaking too softly, too monotonously and too nervously and compare it to someone who has written a poor presentation but delivers it charismatically and confidently and you may find that the second person actually accomplishes more.
Acknowledging this, it becomes possible for someone
who is knowledgeable in their field, but also a brilliant
public speaker, to have a huge advantage in the business
environment. In many functions and corporate events a
number of speakers will appear on one night and sometimes
most of them will be ineffective speakers. They will read
their entire presentations or rely on an extensive number
of PowerPoint slides, all of which kill their ability to convey
their message. In such settings, a good speaker can really
stand out. Since the gap between his or her presentation and
the other presentations is so large, the
speaker's speaking ability can essentially
put him/her in a different league.
One can gain such an advantage
through two ways. On the one hand, one
can learn to be a great speaker by trial
and error over a long period of time, with
many opportunities lost along the way, or one can go the
much easier route. Seek professional help.
Delia Thompson holds an ATCL and LTCL Speech tuition degree,from Trinity College, Cambridge University, London.
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