"Conquer Your Fear: Celebrating Independence from Public Speaking Anxiety"

Remember the thrill of July 4th when you were a child? The excitement of Independence Day with fireworks, sparklers, barbecues, corn on the cob, and juicy watermelon. It was a joyous celebration of freedom and our nation's independence.

But what if we celebrated another kind of independence? Imagine declaring Independence from Public Speaking Fear. Public speaking is an essential skill that isn't going anywhere, not even with the rise of artificial intelligence (though it can help make it easier).

Picture yourself as a confident public speaker at work, equipped with the skills you need to succeed. How empowering would it be to feel prepared, confident, and respected for your contributions?

Our forefathers who fought for independence taught us a valuable lesson. It all began with the Boston Tea Party, where the people took a stand against unjust taxation and refused to be controlled. You can take a similar stand against the fears that are taxing you.

Think about the things you fear about public speaking: failure, humiliation, brain freeze, or a disengaged audience. Now, imagine putting those fears in a box labeled FEAR and throwing it away.

Next, picture another box labeled CONFIDENCE. Fill it with qualities that make you feel assured: positive self-talk, effective pauses, energetic delivery, audience engagement, smiling faces, and a smooth flow of ideas. Revisit and practice these skills until they become second nature.

Start today and declare your independence from public speaking anxiety. Embrace your new found confidence find your freedom and let your voice be heard!

 To learn how to Speak Confidently and Effectively check out my LinkedIn learning course. It ranked in the Top 20 Most Popular courses for 2 years.

To learn techniques to overcome fear of speaking, read Chapter 3 of Knockout Presentations.

To work with me contact DiResta Communications, Inc.

Public Speaking is Going to the Dogs

It's the Dog Days of August and public speaking is going to the dogs - in a good way. Animals, especially dogs, have been used in pet therapy programs for years. Research shows that pets can help lower blood pressure, and reduce anxiety. Bonnie Auslander, who specializes in business communication, decided to use dogs to help reduce public speaking anxiety in front of an audience. Knowing that dogs are successfully used in pet therapy, Auslander applied the idea to speaking anxiety. The sessions were part of a pilot program at American University. They recruited 12 canines who were chosen for their calm personalities. Nervous business students were paired with a friendly dog.

Did it work? The evidence was anecdotal. The students reported that looking at dogs made them smile.

True confession: When I was starting out as a public speaker, I would place stuffed animals in chairs and would practice my speech as well as my eye contact. The only downside was when my husband walked into the room and saw me talking to a bunch of chairs.

The idea was to mentally remove the negative image of a scary audience and to replace it with something or someone who is accepting.

While we don't know if this experiment in reducing speech anxiety will transfer to a human audience, it can't hurt. The dogs allow the public speakers to "feel the love", and it's a win win. The public speaker reduces anxiety and the canines get undivided attention.

So I guess it's true. Every dog has it's day.