Read this great article today, it really would have come in handy last year when I lost countless nights sleep worrying about a speaking I was doing at an industry conference.
Concerned that I was going to do it all wrong, all of the usual self doubt and confidence issues kicked in, so I'd put pressure on myself to get it right.
Of course confidence is something that grows with practice, but in the age of authenticity - how do you "fake" confidence when you're trembling with fear inside?
Although these excellent tips have been written about public speaking, the beauty of these is that they can really apply to any piece of speaking that is important - including interviews.
There's some fresh comments in here that don't come out of the standard interview text book.
Some of my favourites include:
"Negative visualization helps me to keep things in perspective. Before giving a presentation, spend a few minutes thinking about what could go wrong. You could be embarrassed, perhaps lose a sale, or make a bad impression. These are not a big deal. You’ll bounce back. It seems counter-intuitive, but visualizing what could go wrong and putting it in perspective gives my confidence a boost." – Vik Patel, Future Hosting
Warm up your voice. You may not know that your voice is actually a muscle! Start by stretching and massaging your neck, jaw, and face muscles. Next, do breathing exercises. Finally, do voice exercises. I would recommend making siren noises, starting on the low pitch and going high pitch and back down. Then, do tongue twisters, first slowly, then faster. – Kevin Ryan Tao, NeuEve
"I start with a joke. It puts your audience in a good mood and makes you feel like you have command of the crowd, which helps you relax. Seeing people smiling at you puts you at ease and creates a level of trust." – Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
"Just be yourself - When you’re authentic and transparent, you have nothing to fear or hide. You can be confident about everything that you’re saying because you know that you are truly telling the truth. This will show your true characteristics and charisma that’ll attract the audience’s attention. With your practice, body language, sharp look, and authenticity, everything else will fall into place." – Fritz Colcol, Simply Thalia
Read them all here and give them a try....
The fear of public speaking is practically universal. No matter how comfortable someone is, once they get in that spotlight, nearly everyone experiences a moment of jitters just before they speak to a crowd. In the age of authenticity, you can’t simply pretend you’re confident; you have to truly believe it and convey it from the moment the audience sees you. According to a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members, here are some of the best ways to build up your confidence before you give a speech or presentation. Hint: These tips work in one-on-one settings like job interviews and networking sessions, too!
Read the original article here