Whether it is described as fear or anxiety, the feeling that some people get when asked to give a speech can be the end of a promising career if not tamed and controlled.

Anxiety – a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger etc: worry

Fear – a feeling of distress, apprehension, or alarm caused by impending danger, pain etc.

Collins English Dictionary

How can there be danger, pain and misfortune when speaking to an audience? The answer lies in the speakers mind.

With our fantastic imaginations it is easy to see the reaction of an audience to our inept attempts at presenting in a professional manner. We can easily construct a scenario which leaves us feeling humiliated and ridiculed. Most people in an audience have been witnesses to a public humiliation of this type – at school. It was probably a simple incorrect answer of a humorous nature that caused the whole class to laugh out loud. The subconscious mind is very protective and even one instance can be enough for a barrier to be raised; a warning saying “don’t let this happen to us”.

Some of us leave these barriers behind as we develop, others never do. Most people come to a halfway house where they deliver to a standard format, taking very few risks, in the hope of sneaking past with a mediocre presentation. This is so common in the corporate world that presentations are pre-packed and shipped to speakers simply to be delivered.

Whatever you thought of and whatever the difference in feeling, it doesn’t matter. The fact that you can feel confident is enough – really.

We feel confident about things and our ability to do them, because we believe we can and to do that we normally need some evidence, some reason to feel that it’s within our capability. So, to gain confidence firstly we must gain self-belief. That may feel beyond you at the moment; it’s not. Start with a simple thing that you do everyday. How easy do you find it? You may say that this doesn’t compare with something as scary as speaking in public but everything was new once. How do we learn any new skill if not by trusting that it’s ok to fail, learning from our mistakes and trying again? Eventually we get there. By that I mean we become as good as we can be or at least as good as we allow ourselves to be.

Confidence in public speaking is rooted in the question ‘why am I doing this’. Before attempting a speech ask yourself this question and if the answer does not give you a feeling of increased self-esteem, does not include some value for your audience then perhaps you should think again. If you can feel that the speech is worthwhile then the desire to move yourself into an area, where you could possibly learn a great deal about yourself and your abilities, will grow and this turns into confidence – not that every performance will be perfect but that you can risk it being less than perfect!

I said that we need evidence in order to feel confident and for that to grow in the area of speaking requires specific evidence. Wherever possible get feedback from your audience. Ask them directly what they liked most about your speech. Consider the following questions and likely responses

What did you think of my speech?

What did you like most about my speech?

Which part of my speech did you find the most valuable?

The first is likely to get the standard response of ‘I thought it was very good’ or ‘I really liked it’. If someone offers these comments without being asked, say thank you and then ask one of the other two questions. What you need to find out is what you do well, what the audience got from the speech and that can then feed your growing confidence that you are a good speaker, can reach the audience and that they do get value from your speeches.

Remember, you don’t need to find confidence to speak in public, just the desire to give your message to an audience. Do so with the knowledge that every great speaker there has ever been also had to go through the same process and confidence will find you.

This is for teenagers between 14 and 18 years of age.  We will finally hear what our young people, the future leaders of the country perhaps, have to say for themselves. The contestants will have to undergo a series of challenges with people being eliminated along the way. I shall be commenting on each show and providing some hints and tips to cover the points raised by the judges.

With that in mind I have decided to launch a competition for adults to fight back. The Dorset Speaker will be open to anyone in the Dorset area over 18 years of age to submit a vidoe of their 2 minute speech to let us know what they think and to win some great prizes too.

Find out how to submit your video to The Dorset Speaker.

If your worst fears are realised, it may as well be a bedtime story – it has the same effect!
It also leaves you with a view of the presenter which I can guarantee wasn’t their intention.

So, what do we want to see? What should presenters be doing to make their presentation a winner for them and us?

Here are just a few thoughts you may want to bear in mind should you be the presenter.

People really don’t like the traditional PowerPoint approach of lists of bullet-points. Ask yourself ‘Is this a PowerPoint presentation or a presentation that uses PowerPoint?’ In fact does it warrant the use of slides at all?

You have decided to use the screen to illustrate your point; this will help the audience to remember much more but only if you don’t overload them. Venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki recommends a simple rule 10/20/30. Every such presentation should have 10 slides, last 20 minutes and use 30 point text. It’s a fascinating idea and one I myself will implement very shortly.

The logic is very simple. We can’t really cope with more than ten concepts in one meeting, once you get the projector working you probably only have twenty minutes left anyway, and unless you are delivering your speech to a room of 16 year olds the font needs to be at least 30 point for everyone to read it! If you don’t like being limited to 30, try finding the age of the oldest member of the audience and halve it.

I admire people who can reel off masses of statistics from memory – but hey, how do I know they are correct anyway? Most people will only be confused by lots of numbers unless they can cause a reaction of some kind. If there is a number you want me to remember tell me it, put it up in huge letters and talk about it.

Can you tell when a presenter doesn’t really believe what they are saying? Of course you can. Smile, relax and talk about something you feel passionate about.

Involve your audience and treat them with respect; don’t dumb-down for them – challenge them (that doesn’t mean confusing them with acronyms).

If you do use a screen presentation, remember that it is a visual aid; the audience came to see and hear you. Surprise them by not reading the screen, being interested in them and supporting your message with clear and interesting visuals.

Wouldn’t it be great if your audience were looking forward to seeing what great presentation you have prepared this time?

Let’s start with the room layout. No matter what type of presentation you are making, checking the room layout before the event is a must whenever possible.

If you are using a screen to display your visual information, you must check its position. The centre of the stage is yours. If the screen is moveable put it to your left and angle it to about 25% towards you. The reason is that people read from left to right and they will look at you, the screen and then back to you continuously.

Many purpose-built conference rooms have ceiling mounted projectors and a centrally located screen. Don’t let this setup dictate to you. Be aware of it in advance and prepare your slide-show to cope. You may think that you will have to stay to one side because you cannot walk in front of the screen – can you?

There are two points here: Firstly if you want to get really engaged with the images and become part of the visual – do it; do it carefully, but do it. It’s only standing in front of an image for no reason, or reading text from the screen that audiences hate so much. Secondly, if you want to move to the front and engage the audience, why not have a blank slide or just press the ‘B’ (screen to black) key.

Only a small part of your speech will involve the words you speak so make sure you balance the need to see the screen with still being visible yourself, and leave the lights on.
If you are working with ambient light be aware that a white background will become increasingly brighter and take the spotlight away from you should light levels drop. Either pre-empt this by having the room lights turned up or use a darker background to prevent the problem in the first place. It’s also possible that a helpful member of the audience will call out “someone get the lights” – at all costs you must stop them!

Make sure that the screen doesn’t restrict your movement. Give yourself space to express yourself and use a remote to control the keyboard. As a rule I would insist on using my own laptop with my own remote. There are many types of remote available, many allow you to move the mouse and highlight text. My advice is keep it simple; the multi-function devices are often difficult to use requiring you to look down at them and as anything in your hand will always distract the audience keep it small too.

If the projector is not yours you may encounter problems with the interface and maybe even loss of image quality in photos and other graphics. Get to the venue early and arrange for a test run. Have your presentation on a data stick ready to transfer to a host computer. Check the quality of images and if necessary adjust the contrast and brightness in the presentation software.

Lastly, remember Murphy and be prepared for a power-cut!

Work with Steve to become a compelling communicator

Whether you are a complete beginner who fears even the thought of giving a presentation or regularly speak to an audience and want to be better; this course is designed to fit your particular needs.

How it works
With a good understanding of your goals as a speaker, Steve will design a 12 session programme perfectly tailored to the clients needs. As the course progresses and you do too, Steve will constantly reassess your progress and suggest ways to develop your skills.

From each session you will go away with tasks to complete that will allow you to practice your new skills. During a telephone coaching session with Steve between sessions you will be able to get feedback on your work. Steve is also available via e-mail for those questions that may crop up from time to time.

You will receive
As this is a personal service you will be able to get limited Coaching directly from Steve at pre-arranged times between sessions to answer any questions that may arise. Steve is also available to you via e-mail for that time when you require an opinion of your work or to ask a question. The course includes all of the following:

• Pre-course interview
• Course plan and goal definition
• Course materials
• Pre-arranged telephone Coaching between sessions
• e-mail access to Steve as required
• How to design a speech
• How to use gestures and body language
• How to use vocal variety
• Introduction to PowerPoint

A full day designed for those in business who regularly have to present or are contemplating doing so. This s an interactive day aimed at developing the skills to allow you to become compelling communicators able to deliver presentations in an effective manner. In a workshop environment, you will work together to discover ways to overcome fear and be in the correct ‘state’ to give a presentation. You will develop a short speech and receive constructive feedback to take away.

How it works
From conquering fears to delivering with passion and conviction, Steve will take you on a journey discovering skills you have, and introducing new skills to give the delegates a base from which to go forward with confidence.

You will receive
All the help you need to rid yourself of the fear of public speaking and discover skills you have and ways to develop new ones. The course manual will become a reference and guide for you as you venture forth to speak in public. The course includes:

• Extensive written evaluation
• Verbal feedback
• Recommendations for improvement
• Practical advice on technique and content
• How to overcome anxiety
• How to design your speech
• Use of body language
• Effective voice control
• Use of props and visual aids
• Introduction to PowerPoint
• How to enter the speaking ‘state’
• A short speech to get you started

For those in business who regularly have to present and are concerned that the content and delivery reflect their message in the most effective manner.

How it works
During an initial session, Steve will take an active interest in your business and what outcomes you require from the presentation. Typically based around an existing presentation, Steve will assess the outcomes you require, and advise on all aspects, from planning to execution and beyond. In a workshop environment you will be able to put into practice and fine tune your new presentation skills. Where PowerPoint is used Steve will recommend best practices and help you to make the most of your slides.

You will receive
At the workshop you will be able to present and fine tune what you do in real-time. The result will be a presentation you can be confident in and a clear understanding of the effects you can expect to get from your audience. The course includes:

• Extensive written evaluation
• Verbal feedback
• Recommendations for improvement
• Practical advice on technique and content
• Initial session to define your goals
• Slideware critique as required
• Step by step guide to improvement
• Increased confidence in your presentation
• A clear purpose to your presentation
• Defined actions for the audience