The response to my post on using hypnosis to cure the fear of public speaking was overwhelming. Although I knew that the fear of speaking in public is an issue for many, I did not realize how many people were proactively seeking a solution. Based on the response, I knew I struck a vein.

The great feeling of striking a chord with our audience quickly turned into anxiety late last night, once it dawned on me that I identified an issue, described a strategy for resolving it, but did not make a solution available. I had to restrain myself from calling our Hypnosis expert Boris right there and then. As soon as I felt it was a respectable hour the next morning, I called and explained to Boris my dilemma. After a furious brainstorming session , we decided we would work together on developing the solution - a unique hypnosis audio for those of you who are interested. It is almost complete and after some prodding Boris gave me his permission to allow our readers to listen to a sample. Click on the link below to listen and make sure you are in a relaxed venue when doing so. This will give you a flavor of what the complete audio will be like. To imagine what it would be like to use hypnosis to cure your fear of public speaking in the comfort of your own home - go to

http://www.occasionalwords.com/blog/2008/02/14/public-speaking-and-hypnosis-part-ii/

We are back after a nice long winter break. Although I have not blogged for a few weeks I did not rest from my quest for the best resources and techniques to help you conquer your fear of public speaking, or to take the skills you already have to the next level. The use of hypnosis is one technique which kept coming up in my research. In order to find out more, I knew we had to find a leading hypnotist in order to get some answers. Yesterday I had the privilege of interviewing Boris Cherniak, better known as the "Incredible Boris". He entered the hypnosis world at the age of 19 and since then has performed across the US and Canada to packed houses. He has also been a frequent guest on numerous TV shows including Montel Williams, and Maury Povich.

To listen to the interview and find out how hypnosis can help you, and to view a YouTube clip from one of his TV appearances and witness for yourself the power of hypnosis go to:

http://www.occasionalwords.com/blog/2008/01/22/hypnosis-and-the-fear-of-public-speaking/

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing the legendary motivational speaker Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones about the importance of developing effective public speaking skills. Charlie, as always, was gracious, passionate, and provided unique insights. If you want to develop public speaking skills, or improve your existing ones, before giving your next speech be sure to listen to it by going to:

http://www.occasionalwords.com/blog/2007/09/18/my-interview-with-charlie-tremendous-jones-on-the-importance-of-effective-public-speaking-skills/

For those of you who don't know Charlie, he is a pioneer in the leadership training and personal development industries. He entered the insurance business at age 22, with MONY. At age 23, he was awarded his agency's Most Valuable Associate Award. Ten years later, he received his company's highest management award for recruiting, manpower and development, and business management. In 1965, he founded Life Management Services to share his experience through seminars and consulting services.

Thousands of audiences around the world have experienced non-stop laughter as his ideas about life's most challenging situations in business and at home. Two of his speeches, "The Price of Leadership" and "Where Does Leadership Begin?" have been enjoyed by millions. He is the author and editor of nine books, including Life is Tremendous with more than 2,000,000 copies in print in 12 languages.

He is featured in numerous books and has received more awards then I can possibly recount in this blog. Listen to the intervie here:
http://www.occasionalwords.com/blog/2007/09/18/my-interview-with-charlie-tremendous-jones-on-the-importance-of-effective-public-speaking-skills/

1. WHO'S OUT THERE?

The single most important factor in giving a speech, no matter what the occasion, is this: Know your audience! If you don't know whom you're speaking to, then you run the risk of saying something inappropriate. So tailor your material accordingly. Your audience will determine what you say, how you say it, and the tone that you use when speaking. Don't doubt us on this one.

For a free public speaking mini course please visit
http://www.occasionalwords.com

2. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Don't expect that just because you have the words in front of you that you'll automatically say them in convincing fashion. Only if you are seasoned at this sort of speaking does it come naturally, and even then most people are very familiar with the material they're talking about.

If you take the time to become comfortable with the words you're going to say, your speech will improve dramatically. So don't just practice by reading your speech to yourself. Read it aloud. Read in a way that's going to reflect how you're going to have to say it to the audience. Consider taking these few steps in working on delivery:

Read the speech aloud to yourself at the same pace you'll read it to the audience. Identify any lines that don't sound correct and rewrite them. You may want to time yourself to get an idea if you're speaking for too long.

Next, deliver the speech standing in front of a mirror, trying to address yourself as you go. Say the speech all the way through without having to back-track or pause and correct yourself. The sooner you simulate the real experience, the easier the time will be when you have to deliver the real thing.

For a free public speaking mini course please visit
http://www.occasionalwords.com

Quite simply, you know a good speaker when you see one. They're comfortable, confident and completely at ease with the words they're saying. Even more, they keep the audience interested throughout the entire speech, even if the material isn't that compelling.
On the other hand, you know a weak speaker when you see one. They tend to speak without any inflection or emotion. Worse, they may mumble or read the speech from the page in its entirety without ever looking up from the lectern. This is almost as painful for the audience as it apparently is for the speaker.
This is where delivery makes a big difference in the success of your speech.

One of the main concerns is how much material you should memorize for your speech. Let's make this clear off the top - don't stress yourself out with trying to memorize a speech completely. That's unreasonable. Some people like to have the speech in front of them in its entirety while others prefer to work from cue cards containing the essential points of their speech. If you can speak off-the-cuff, congratulations. That's an impressive talent, but few people have the ability.

NERVES

It's really the most disturbing part of giving a speech, isn't it? The sweating, the trembling voice, the dry throat and pounding heart. The simple fact of the matter is, most people who give speeches get nervous. It's natural - really! But how you control your nerves is the sign of a good speaker.

Furthermore, the fact that you've been asked to say a few words probably means that you are the best person to do the job. Don't take that as putting more stress on you. Enjoy yourself, and more importantly, be yourself.

For starters, take a glass of water to the lectern. If you need a drink, remember that there's no rush. Pause and take your time sipping (not gulping!) the water before picking up where you left off. If you have to cough or blow your nose, turn your head away from the microphone and do it.

If the trembling voice kicks in, focus your efforts on speaking distinctly and at an even pace. Don't rush yourself, but merely try to establish eye contact with your audience and speak up. Once you find your pace, you'll be fine.

You should also put a handkerchief (not a paper napkin) on the lectern if you tend to perspire in these situations. Again, don't rub your forehead vigorously or simply dab the perspiration away. Take a moment to wipe your forehead, place the handkerchief down and then move on.

Another couple of common hazards of public sp
eaking are shaky hands and the stuck-in-one place mannequin stance. Standing in a frozen position is not a good way to win over your audience. The best thing you can do is to occasionally shift your foot position or move your arms. Again, keep breathing and relax your limbs. You can read more about this under the section Eye Contact and Body Language.

Other than that, if you want to ease your nerves before speaking, try to focus on something calming. Think of something that relaxes you. If that doesn't work, try to treat the nervous energy you have as something that you can use to your advantage. Direct that energy into your speech.

VOICE

As you know, your voice is your most important tool when addressing an audience. How you present your words, the tone, the rhythm and the volume are all important aspects of speaking. Unfortunately, you're not typically aware of all these elements when it actually comes time to deliver, so consider the following when rehearsing your speech.

Make sure you pronounce all your words clearly and correctly. If you're not sure about the pronunciation of a word, ask someone who knows. This is especially true for peoples' names. Altering the pacing of your speech and emphasizing the important words in sentences will go a long way to helping give your speech mood. It will also help distinguish some of the most important parts of your speech. Finally, avoid saying "uh" or "ah" when there are pauses in your speech.

If you stumble over some words, don't panic. Mistakes happen. People are far more likely to forget about it if you give the matter as much thought as it deserves. If it's a small mistake, merely move on. If it's a more noticeable mistake, simply pause, back-up and say the word correctly. If you want to frame your correction appropriately, say "pardon me, I mean..." or "rather, that is..." or something to that effect. Don't apologize profusely.