Why I’m not nervous about public speaking

I’m not a natural public speaker, but I don’t let fear stop me from getting in front of an audience. Being able to do presentations and speak in any room is a needed skill if I’m going to succeed at anything.

I sum up my methods in my latest WorkAwesome.com blog, “Stop Being Nervous About Public Speaking.” I list eight tips that really help but there are two that stand out as key.

It’s not about you

Nervousness is rooted in your ego. You’re afraid of how you will look in front of an audience. But they’re not in the room to critique you. They don’t really care about you. They want to learn something. You’re there to offer a lesson or two.

Concentrate on giving the audience value. Don’t waste their time. Worry about their needs not yours.

Anyone who says they got something out of your presentation or speech will think you’re a great speaker. Concentrate on the content.

Toastmasters

This is a great club. It presents opportunities for you to give speeches and get constructive feedback. They have a program that develops presentation skills one speech at a time.

You can choose the topics. That means you can give speeches about things you really care about. Those are the best speeches by the way.

What I really love about Toastmasters is the Table Topics. At each meeting, a Table Topics Master will choose a member at random and give them a quick topic. The member has two minutes to speak spontaneously. This is great training for anyone. If you can master Table Topics, you will do well when put on the spot at meetings or events.