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Stage Fright before a Public Business Appearance

Tomorrow, you have an important business presentation before extremely important business clients. And every time you think of your public appearance, you panic, your hands start to sweat, your heart rate goes up to 150 beats per minute, you perspire excessively all over your body, you start losing your voice, etc. If that is the case, you are suffering from stage fright!

However, stage fright is nothing special. It is quite normal that the closer the date and the hour of your public appearance, the more stage fright you have. Many experienced actors and professional speakers are on tenterhooks before every public appearance. This kind of anxiety also has its advantages. Namely, the surge of adrenaline ultimately triggers the highest possible concentration of power and ability that only adds to success. Despite that, it is true that experienced speakers usually settle down and relax very quickly after the first words are uttered, while an inexperienced speaker can remain nervous throughout the public appearance. However, considering this, we have to be aware that only rarely is a person a born speaker and that practice makes perfect.

If you are suffering from stage fright, keep in mind that this will help you make use of all your abilities. To overcome stage fright more easily, it is also helpful to draw attention to yourself. How do you capture the listeners’ attention? If there are many people present, it is at first usually difficult to capture the attention of all listeners. If people present at your public appearance are several metres away from you, it might happen that they will not stop talking as soon as you begin, even if this is very impolite. For this reason, it might be best to open your speech with an amusing anecdote, as this will intrigue them to listen more readily. Let us point out that the speech should not be too long, even if you feel halfway through your speech that you have only just begun to warm up. Instead, you’d better ensure the listeners’ attention from the first word to the last. This can only be achieved by focusing on the most relevant and by not overdoing the talking.

Here are a few hints on how to give a good (effective) speech:

• First, define what it is that the listeners expect from you and what you absolutely cannot require of them.
• What kind of an anecdote is appropriate.
• How serious your speech can or has to be.
• What kind of a joke is appropriate for you to tell between the lines of your speech.
• Put yourself into the role you will play or represent. Are you a salesperson, a negotiator, etc.? It is your role that dictates the content of the speech and how personal or how formal the style of your speech should be.
• Consider what kind of speeches you prefer yourself. You can be certain that the majority of listeners will have the same preference.
• The speech should be short and concise. Save some »material« for the discussion and the questions from the listeners after your speech.
• Speak in a loud and clear voice that is audible enough.
• Eye contact is the alpha and omega of every address. Even if you are reading a written text, raise your eyes as often as possible and look the listeners in their eyes.
• Do not turn your back on the listeners.

Do not allow stage fright to spoil or even ruin several hours of hard work invested in preparing a speech on which your business path might depend. Make use of it and turn it to your advantage!

Urška Č.

Source: “Priročnik lepega vedenja”, Ljubljana, Slovenska knjiga, 2004

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