Quelling Stage Fright-Start Small
Once the decision is made that you have to go out in front of people and "sell" yourself, your goods, or your services, start with small venues. For some, the idea of walking into a room and introducing oneself causes the butterflies to start flapping around, but with practice you can learn how to handle the small talk. Some people may never have to get up, microphone in hand, and entertain a group of five, ten, or 100 people, but mastering the fine art of one-on-one conversation is a step in the right direction if public speaking is your ultimate goal.

"Before you decide to get out in front of audiences you need to have built up trust with those groups that want you to come and speak. They need to know you are an expert in your field and that you can come and impart some new, useful information." -Robert Whipple, Speaker and Author

Sandra Beckwith, president of Beckwith Communications says it's very important to be able to present your ideas clearly and effectively.

"It's a cliché but, you never get a second chance to make a first impression,'" she shares. "Whether you are walking into a meeting or standing at a podium in front of a group, you should view each person you meet as a potential customer and with that thought in mind you always want to make the best impression possible."

You never know where your potential clients are-they could be at the PTA meeting, the Rotary, or the grocery store-and because of that you should have your "elevator speech" prepared. Always have on the tip of your tongue a 15-30 second "blurb" about who you are and what you do. Your elevator speech should succinctly communicate your business's core message-whether you are a widget salesman, computer repairman, or the CEO of your own firm.

"How many times have you gone to a meeting and there is the inevitable, `Tell us a little bit about yourself' getting-to-know-you introduction session?" Beckwith asks. "This is the time when your elevator speech is particularly effective. The speech, however, should be customized toward your audience-the one you give at the PTA meeting will be different from the one you give at a Kiwanis networking event."

"Whether you are walking into a meeting or standing at a podium in front of a group, you should view each person you meet as a potential customer." -Sandra Beckwith, President, Beckwith Communications

Beckwith cautions not to turn every encounter into a sales pitch.

"It's likely you didn't sign up to help out at your child's lacrosse match to drum up business," she states. "But, eventually most conversations make the turn toward the, `So, what do you do for a living?' and that conversation could lead to your being asked to come and speak to a group about your specialty."

For some individuals, like author Robert Whipple, speaking is in his genes.

"My father and grandfather were both speakers and it came naturally to them and was passed down to me, but I did do some work with Toastmasters to hone my craft," he explains.

His promotion for his recent book, E-Body Language, Building Trust On-Line involves Whipple getting up in front of groups either in a purely speaking setting or in a learning environment. He utilizes handouts, audience participation, and interaction as well as Powerpoint presentations.

He cautions that the use of Powerpoint does not negate the need for speaking to the audience, not merely posting the slides and letting them do the talking for you.

"Before you decide to get out in front of audiences you need to have built up trust with those groups that want you to come and speak. They need to know you are an expert in your field and that you can come and impart some new, useful information," he says.

Toastmasters International offers ten tips for successful public speaking: 1. Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids. 2. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers. 3. Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary. 4. Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises. 5. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. 6. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. 7. Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. 8. Concentrate on the message-not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. 9. Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking.

"For people who aspire to be speakers and build their businesses they not only need to get out in front of groups but they need to have something worthwhile to say," he explains, adding that, "your speech should always be customized to the group you are speaking with."
 
Make It Part of Everyday Business
Getting the word out about yourself and your business should be part of every business owner's business plan, Beckwith feels.

"At the beginning of every year a business owner should do goal setting and one of those needs to be to crawl out of your office and join the rest of the world," she says. "When you turn the page on the new calendar year, seek out appropriate opportunities to get in front of your target audience. Who needs or wants your goods and services, where do your prospective clients congregate? Join Chambers of Commerce, look for special interest groups, opportunities for speaking engagements are everywhere and many times, groups are scrambling to find speakers, make sure your name is in front of their faces when they need to fill a space."

Few of us are born with the natural inclination to stand up in front of a group of people and "perform" but there are groups out there, Toastmasters (http://www.toastmasters.org/) being one of the more notable organizations that teach individuals how to make the butterflies take flight at the idea of public speaking.
 
Bottom Line
Whipple's advice: "Don't ever talk about something you aren't passionate about. If your speech isn't coming from the heart, people will tune you out almost immediately. If you are passionate, it shows through your speech," he says.

As for adding humor to a speech, both Beckwith and Whipple say, if you aren't good at it and comfortable with delivering a joke, don't do it. Forced humor is worse than no humor at all, Whipple says.

"Whether you have a product, book, or service to sell, you want to keep your speech as non commercial as possible," Whipple cautions. "You can allude to your book or your product but standing in front of a group is not the time for a hard sell. If you engage the audience and tell them something they want to know, your product will sell itself."

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