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Nervousness is Normal – Lucas text – pp. 9 – 15 If you feel nervous about giving a speech, you are
in very good company. Some of the greatest public speakers in history have
suffered from stage fright, including Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Sanger, and
Winston Churchill. The famous Roman orator Cicero said: "I turn pale at
the outset of a speech and quake in every limb and in my soul."8
Oprah Winfrey, Conan O'Brien, and Jay Leno all report being anxious about
speaking in public. Early in his career, Leonardo DiCaprio was so nervous
about giving an acceptance speech that he hoped he would not win the Academy
Award for which he had been nominated. Eighty-one percent of business
executives say public speaking is the most nerve-wracking experience they
face.9 What comedian Jerry Seinfeld said in jest sometimes seems
literally true: "Given a choice, at a funeral most of us would rather be
the one in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy." Actually, most people tend to be anxious before
doing something important in public. Actors are nervous before a play,
politicians are nervous before a campaign speech, athletes are nervous before
a big game. The ones who succeed have learned to use their nervousness to
their advantage. Listen to American gymnast Shawn Johnson speaking after her
balance beam routine in the women's apparatus finals at the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing: "I was so nervous I couldn't get anything right in
warm ups. But I wanted to do my best and end on a good note." Putting
her butterflies to good use, Johnson ended on a good note, indeed, by scoring
16.225 points to win the gold medal. Much the same thing happens in speechmaking. Most
experienced speakers have stage fright before taking the floor, but their
nervousness is a healthy sign that they are getting "psyched up"
for a good effort. Novelist and lecturer I. A. R. Wylie explains, "Now
after many years of practice I am, I suppose, really a 'practiced speaker.'
But I rarely rise to my feet without a throat constricted with terror and a
furiously thumping heart. When, for some reason, I am cool and self-assured,
the speech is always a failure."10 In other words, it is perfectly normal—even
desirable—to be nervous at the start of a speech. Your body is responding as
it would to any stressful situation—by producing extra adrenaline.
This sudden shot of adrenaline is what makes your heart race, your hands
shake, your knees knock, and your skin perspire. Every public speaker
experiences all these reactions to some extent. The question is: How can you
control your nervousness and make it work for you rather than against you? DEALING WITH NERVOUSNESS Rather than trying to eliminate every trace of stage fright, you
should aim at transforming it from a negative force into what one expert
calls positive
nervousness,—"a zesty, enthusiastic, lively
feeling with a slight edge to it.... It's still nervousness, but it feels
different. You're no longer victimized by it; instead, you're vitalized by
it. You're in control of it."11 Don't think of yourself as having stage fright. Instead, think
of it as "stage excitement" or "stage enthusiasm."12
It can help you get focused and energized in the same way that it helps
athletes, musicians, and others get primed for a game or a concert. Think of
it as a normal part of giving a successful speech. Here are six time-tested ways you can turn your nervousness from
a negative force into a positive one. Acquire Speaking Experience You have already taken the first step. You are enrolled in a
public speaking course, where you will learn about speechmaking and gain
speaking experience. Think back to your first day at kindergarten, your first
date, your first day at a new job. You were probably nervous in each
situation because you were facing something new and unknown. Once you became
accustomed to the situation, it was no longer threatening. So it is with
public speaking. For most students, the biggest part of stage fright is fear
of the unknown. The more you learn about public speaking and the more
speeches you give, the less threatening speechmaking will become. Of course, the road to confidence will sometimes be bumpy.
Learning to give a speech is not much different from learning any other
skill—it proceeds by trial and error. The purpose of your speech class is to
shorten the process, to minimize the errors, to give you a nonthreatening
arena—a sort of laboratory—in which to undertake the "trial." Your teacher recognizes that you are a novice and is trained to
give the kind of guidance you need to get started. In your fellow students
you have a highly sympathetic audience who will provide valuable feedback to
help you improve your speaking skills. As the class goes on, your fears about
public speaking will gradually recede until they are replaced by only a
healthy nervousness before you rise to speak.13 Prepare, Prepare, Prepare Another key to gaining confidence is to pick speech topics you
truly care about—and then to prepare your speeches so thoroughly that you
cannot help but be successful. Here's how one student combined enthusiasm for
his topic with thorough preparation to score a triumph in speech class: Jesse Young was
concerned about taking a speech class. Not having any experience as a public
speaker, he got butterflies in his stomach just thinking about talking in
front of an audience. But when the time came for Jesse's first speech, he was
determined to make it a success. Jesse chose Habitat
for Humanity as the topic for his speech. He had been a volunteer for the
past three years, and he believed deeply in the organization and its mission.
The purpose of his speech was to explain the origins, philosophy, and
activities of Habitat for Humanity. As Jesse spoke, it
became clear that he was enthusiastic about his subject and genuinely wanted
his classmates to share his enthusiasm. Because he was intent on
communicating with his audience, he forgot to be nervous. He spoke clearly,
fluently, and dynamically. Soon the entire class was engrossed in his speech. Afterward Jesse
admitted that he had surprised even himself. "It was amazing," he
said. "Once I passed the first minute or so, all I thought about were
those people out there listening. I could tell that I was really getting
through to them." How much time should you devote to preparing your speeches? A
standard rule of thumb is that each minute of speaking time requires one to
two hours of preparation time—perhaps more, depending on the amount of
research needed for the speech. This may seem like a lot of time, but the
rewards are well worth it. One professional speech consultant estimates that
proper preparation can reduce stage fright by up to 75 percent.14 If you follow the techniques suggested by your teacher and in
the rest of this book, you will stand up for every speech fully prepared.
Imagine that the day for your first speech has arrived. You have studied your
audience and selected a topic you know will interest them. You have
researched the speech thoroughly and practiced it several times until it
feels absolutely comfortable. You have even tried it out before two or three
trusted friends. How can you help but be confident of success? Think Positively Confidence is mostly the well-known power of positive thinking.
If you think you can do it, you usually can. On the other hand, if you
predict disaster and doom, that is almost always what you will get. This is
especially true when it comes to public speaking. Speakers who think
negatively about themselves and the speech experience are much more likely to
be overcome by stage fright than are speakers who think positively. Here are
some ways you can transform negative thoughts into positive ones as you work on
your speeches:
Many psychologists believe that the ratio of positive to
negative thoughts in regard to stressful activities such as speechmaking
should be at least five to one. That is, for each negative thought, you
should counter with a minimum of five positive ones. Doing so will not make
your nerves go away completely, but it will help keep them under control so
you can concentrate on communicating your ideas rather than on brooding about
your fears and anxieties. Use the Power of Visualization Visualization
is closely related to positive thinking. It is used by athletes, musicians,
actors, speakers, and others to enhance their performance in stressful
situations. How does it work? Listen to long-distance runner Vicki Huber: Right before a big race,
I'll picture myself running, and I will try and put all of the other
competitors in the race into my mind. Then I will try and imagine every
possible situation I might find myself in... behind someone, being boxed in,
pushed, shoved or cajoled, different positions on the track, laps to go, and,
of course, the final stretch. And I always picture myself winning the race,
no matter what happens during the event. Of course, Huber doesn't win every race she runs, but research
has shown that the kind of mental imaging she describes can significantly
increase athletic performance.15 It has also shown that
visualization can help speakers control their stage fright.16 The key to visualization is creating a vivid mental blueprint in
which you see yourself succeeding in your speech. Picture yourself in your
classroom rising to speak. See yourself at the lectern, poised and
self-assured, making eye contact with your audience and delivering your
introduction in a firm, clear voice. Feel your confidence growing as your
listeners get more and more caught up in what you are saying. Imagine your
sense of achievement as you conclude the speech knowing you have done your
very best. As you create these images in your mind's eye, be realistic but
stay focused on the positive aspects of your speech. Don't allow negative
images to eclipse the positive ones. Acknowledge your nervousness, but
picture yourself overcoming it to give a vibrant, articulate presentation. If
one part of the speech always seems to give you trouble, visualize yourself
getting through it without any hitches. And be specific. The more lucid your
mental pictures, the more successful you are likely to be. As with your physical rehearsal of the speech, this kind of
mental rehearsal of the speech should be repeated several times in the days
before you speak. It doesn't guarantee that every speech will turn out
exactly the way you envision it—and it certainly is no substitute for
thorough preparation. But used in conjunction with the other methods of
combating stage fright, it is a proven way to help control your nerves and to
craft a successful presentation. Know That Most Nervousness Is Not Visible Many novice speakers are worried about appearing nervous to the audience.
It's hard to speak with poise and assurance if you think you look tense and
insecure. One of the most valuable lessons you will learn as your speech
class proceeds is that only a fraction of the turmoil you feel inside is
visible on the outside. "Your nervous system may be giving you a
thousand shocks," says one experienced speaker, "but the viewer can
see only a few of them."17 Even though your palms are sweating and your heart is pounding,
your listeners probably won't realize how tense you are—especially if you do
your best to act cool and confident on the outside. Most of the time when
students confess after a speech, "I was so nervous I thought I was going
to die," their classmates are surprised. To them the speaker looked calm
and assured. Knowing this should make it easier for you to face your
listeners with confidence. As one student stated after watching a videotape
of her first classroom speech, "I was amazed at how calm I looked. I
assumed everyone would be able to see how scared I was, but now that I know
they can't, I won't be nearly so nervous in the future. It really helps to
know that you look in control even though you may not feel that way." Don't Expect Perfection It may also help to know that there is no such thing as a
perfect speech. At some point in every presentation, every speaker says or
does something that does not come across exactly as he or she had planned.
Fortunately, such moments are usually not evident to the audience. Why?
Because the audience does not know what the speaker plans to say. It
hears only what the speaker does say. If you momentarily lose your place,
reverse the order of a couple statements, or forget to pause at a certain
spot, no one need be the wiser. When such moments occur, just proceed as if
nothing happened. One of the biggest reasons people are concerned about making a
mistake in a speech is that they view speechmaking as a performance rather
than an act of communication. They feel the audience is judging them against
a scale of absolute perfection in which every misstated word or awkward
gesture will count against them. But speech audiences are not like judges in
a violin recital or an ice skating contest. They are not looking for a
virtuoso performance, but for a well-thought-out address that communicates
the speaker's ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes an error or two can
actually enhance a speaker's appeal by making her or him seem more human.18 As you work on your speeches, make sure you prepare thoroughly
and do all you can to get your message across to your listeners. But don't
panic about being perfect or about what will happen if you make a mistake.
Once you free your mind of these burdens, you will find it much easier to approach
your speeches with confidence and even with enthusiasm. Besides stressing the six points just discussed, your teacher
will probably give you several tips for dealing with nervousness in your
first speeches. They may include:
If
you are like most students, you will find your speech class to be a very
positive experience. As one student wrote on her course evaluation at the end
of the class: I
was really dreading this class. The idea of giving all those speeches scared
me half to death. But I'm glad now that I stuck with it. It's a small class,
and I got to know a lot of the students. Besides, this is one class in which
I got to express my
ideas, instead of spending the whole time listening to the teacher talk. I
even came to enjoy giving the speeches. I could tell at times that the
audience was really with me, and that's a great feeling. Over the years thousands of students have developed
confidence in their speechmaking abilities. As your confidence grows, you
will be better able to stand before other people and tell them what you think
and feel and know—and to make them think and feel and know those same things.
The best part about confidence is that it nurtures itself. After you score
your first triumph, you will be that much more confident the next time. And
as you become a more confident public speaker, you will likely become more
confident in other areas of your life as well. Checklist for Confidence à http://www.images.connectlucas.com/lucas/popup/01checklist.html
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