 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
  |
How to Prepare your Mind/Body to Give Great SpeechesSure you have catecholamines â€" all speakers do. (including Sir Winston Churchill and Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Reagan.) Those are the chemicals that make you sweat, make your heart beat fast and make your hands shake. Get rid of those chemical and psychological reactions by becoming message-centered and audience-centered, not self-centered. 1 Replace fear and negative noise with positive affirmations. Create new beliefs that nurture you and support you with new ways of thinking. The New Adult You! example: "I am well prepared, and the audience wants me to succeed." 2. Do a quiet meditation, visualization, or exercise before you speak. Breathe deeply. Deep breathing sends a message to your brain that you have nothing to fear. It calms you down. 3 Who cares if you're nervous? Researchers have found that most people report noticing little or no anxiety in a speaker. If you are thoroughly prepared, your internal nervousness seldom shows. Prepare 150%. 4.Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Talk out loud, and walk around while you practice. Use the same physical energy you plan to use on the day of your presentation. The Coach sez. . . practice in front of your mirror .Practice in the car. If you can concentrate while driving, you will be able to pull it from your unconscious when are you in front of the group. Make your points sound spontaneous and conversational. 5. Exercise is an antidote to stress. Arrive early and take a brisk walk for at least five minutes. If it is raining or snowing outside, you can still do some body stretches. 6. Abstain from caffeine and alcohol before you speak. You don't need more jitters. Always wear your favorite outfit and use attractive colors. Women, go simple on the jewelry. Avoid too much black and white. 7. For trembling hands, place your hands on the side of your chair, and, count to 10 as you try to lift the seat. This is an isometric exercise that works and nobody will notice you doing it. 8. Don't be perfect. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. No one is perfect in real life. Get the butterflies in your stomach to fly in formation. That's how you convert your stress into speaking power! 9. Reduce your nervousness by taking several deep breaths immediately before you 're introduced. And for you chocoholics, eat some chocolate to relax your vocal chords. 11 If you experience dry mouth, chew your tongue to increase saliva flow. Singers do this. Close your lips and bite down on the entire surface. Always have a glass of tepid (not cold) water nearby. 12 Focus on a friendly face in the audience. Pretend you are having a conversation, rather than giving a speech. Just be yourself. 13 The Coach sez. . .Most of all, enjoy yourself and have fun. SMILE. After all, aren't you glad to be there? The sign of a mature adult is one who does not take himself too seriously. 14 Here is a vocal warm-up exercise used at the Ryal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Say:PaPaPaPa, BaBaBaBa, TaTaTaTa, DaDaDaDa, KaKaKaKa, GaGaGaGa Then do it backwards. (from Robert and Rande Gedaliah) Get more speaking skills at our "Summer Sizzle" webpage: http://www.schrift.com/summer_sizzle.htm ©2004 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address (http://www.schrift.com) in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com. Thank you. Other articles by this author »
About Sandra Schrift
Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to "grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations. To find out How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker, go to http://www.schrift.com/ProfessionalSpeaker/ Join complimentary bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm Related
And here is another random article you might be interested in... The Hidden Cost Of Store CardsIt happens all the time. You go into one of your favourite shops and hear the offer over the public address system: 'An extra 10% off today if you apply for one of our store cards.' This seems like a good idea for people who shop regularly in a particular place but there are a number of reasons to be careful about applying for store cards. When Is A Store Card Not A Store Card? First of all, the name 'store card' is misleading. It makes them sound friendly. But store cards are another form of credit card. Like credit cards, people can use store cards to defer payment for purchases. Like credit cards, store cards charge interest on uncleared balances. And like credit cards, people have to apply for them. Although it can be tempting to have a store card for each place you shop in, people should avoid this temptation. Every store card application will become part of your credit history. People who make more than three applications within a seven month period are likely to be turned down for some cards. This will adversely affect their credit rating. Store Card Interest Rates A key difference between store cards and credit cards is the interest-free period. While credit cards typically have interest-free periods of up to 56 days, many store cards have none. People pay interest on the debt from the day it goes on the card. What is worse, the interest rates on most store cards are very high. The Competition Commission recently said that British consumers were being overcharged by £100 million a year due to the high interest rates. In fact, the Commission suggested that store cards should carry a 'wealth warning'. Interest rates on normal credit cards typically range between 8% and 20%. In contrast, store card interest rates are usually around 30%. This makes a tremendous difference when paying back a debt. Other Store Card Fees Store cards also charge high late payment fees, making them very expensive for consumers. And the payment protection insurance offered by many cards may be higher than that charged on regular credit cards. Not all store cards fall into this category. There are some retail outlets that offer cards with similar rates to regular credit cards. Store cards that are badged by the retail outlet but issued by a bank may also have competitive interest rates. Getting The Best From Store Cards With high interest rates and low interest free periods, it is easy for consumers to pay over the odds for store card credit. To avoid this, it's best to: - Read the fine print to see what rate of interest applies to
the card. This will be listed under the heading 'typical APR' Another option is to avoid the store card and use another credit card with a better interest rate. Other articles by this author »
About Joseph Kenny
Joe Kenny writes for the Card Guide, a UK based credit cards site, visit today for introductory balance transfers and start clearing credit card debt today. Visit today: http://www.cardguide.co.uk/ Related
|
