Speaking without fear?

A relaxed speaker gives better speeches.

Relax? And give a speech? Really? 

You want to be relaxed and confident when you speak. To do this, you need to know what you are doing. Speech is a skill you can learn.

I no longer get very nervous when I speak. I usually just become a little nervous. I still get nervous when I do plumbing repairs on my house. That's because I don't really know what I'm doing, and I'm worried that I'll flood the kitchen. The more I learn about plumbing, the more confident I feel. This same principle--preparation and experience--also can give speakers more confidence.

Let’s put speech nervousness in context. Public speaking generally poses no hazards at all. Most audiences will sympathize with you even if they disagree with you. You can prepare and practice, just as people in any stressful job must do, so that you know what to do. You will still be keyed up—no one will take that away—but you can still do a great job. 

Speeches aren't usually dangerous. It's just that people worry about making a mistake. If you have a serious speech phobia, a psychologist can help. For the rest of us, who just need more garden-variety confidence, the solution is to develop skills. If you know what  you're doing, and if you are well-prepared, you will feel more confident. Keep track of this blog for simple, time-proven ways to speak with power and confidence.