1 Public Speaking Outline Session 2 Session 2: Anxiety, gestures, body language Intros and warm-up: On The Spot Presentation Introductions Check-in and follow-up from last session 30:00 Topic: Anxiety Just so you know you re not alone! You are human. Humans get nervous when speaking in front of groups. It is a matter of degree, and of ability to mask or channel the nervousness. That ability increases with training what we re doing here and doing speaking in front of groups. A little is helpful. A lot is detrimental. So we want to manage our anxiety to keep it at an acceptable level. Too laid back and you won t be compelling. What is the fear? As a way to begin to dismantle it, let s try to understand our individual anxiety about speaking to groups. Take a few minutes and make a list of exactly what you re afraid of. Try to really examine what you think might happen to you or what you think others might think or feel or do. Often, our fear comes down to fear of being scrutinized or evaluated. Causes of anxiety relative to brain science Hind Brain s purpose is survival. It s constantly scanning the environment looking for threats. In prehistoric times, being part of a group was essential to surviving. So one threat was being kicked out of the group. What might get you kicked out? Maybe standing out in
some way, saying something offensive, or not meeting the group s expectations. So, for some of us, it s the hind brain that butts its way to the front of our consciousness when we re standing in front of a group. It tells us that this is a threatening situation. If we say something offensive or stupid, we might DIE!!!!! Antidote: Keep doing it and prove that Hind Brain wrong! Mid Brain- all about emotions. When we have a strong emotional reaction to something let s say feeling humiliated as you stood in front of your classmates as a child the brain stores extra information about that situation. So being in a situation that seems similar in some way being in front of a group, for example may trigger that emotional memory. Antidote: o Think of that nerve-wracking presentation experience. o On a scale of 1 to 100, how awful was it? o Imagine your little finger has just been cut off in an accident. On a scale of 1 to 100, how awful is that? o Now... compare. Conscious thinking. Most of us have patterns of thinking that contribute to our nervousness. Take a minute or two and see if you can identify what you were thinking the last time you got nervous in front of a group. Antidote: analyze, discredit, remember. Tips for preventing and handling speaking anxiety 1. Before presentation: Visualize success 2. Tips: Write out and memorize your introduction and conclusion 3. Tips: Rehearse out loud. 4. Tips: Rehearse Q & A 5. Tips: Time it!!!!! 6. Tips: Anticipate problems and prepare solutions. 7. Day of presentation tips: Manage your internal dialogue 8. Use stress-busting exercises 9. Arrive early 10. Connect with your audience. 11. During the Presentation Tips: Look at one face at a time in the 2
3 audience. 12. Act as if you are calm and confident. Disguising common signs of anxiety Fidgeting - keep your hands in front of you in the steeple position or place your hands on the lectern as if you re playing the piano Pacing - move somewhere and stop. Move somewhere else and stop. Sweating - have a handkerchief. Keep is folded into a small square. Dab at the sweat and then put it back into your pocket. Hands shaking - use cards rather than paper. Lay props on a table rather than holding. Shaking legs - baggy pants and movement! Dry mouth- water, lemon in the water, or pineapple juice. Turning bright red- wear a color that complements it! And just let it go. You don t suffer... we won t suffer! Bottom line: it s all about the message. When we re anxious, we re centered on ourselves what I think, what I feel, what dire thing might happen to me. Try to shift your focus to the message and what you want people to hear. Presentations 35:00 Gestures & body language Body language Bodies are a part of communication can add or detract (or be neutral) We want to project: Earnestness
4 Sincerity Enthusiasm for our topic Caring that we ve been offered the opportunity to address them Caring about them as an audience Confidence and that we re in control of the situation Empathy - if a speaker smiles, we in the audience will perceive her as a friendly person and smile back. If she frowns, vice-versa. If she fidgets, we will perceive that she lacks self-control and lose confidence in her and therefore what she says. Why physical movement helps - channels anxiety! Adds memorability and meaning to message. Mannerisms to eliminate: Thinking about which of these you know you do or think you might do. Jot them down so you can watch for them yourself, or ask others to look for them: Rocking Swaying Pacing Gripping/leaning on lectern Tapping the fingers Biting/licking lips Jingling pocket change Frowning Adjusting hair or clothing Turning the head/eyes from side to side like an oscillating fan The bad news on mannerisms: they re unconscious. The good news: we have colleagues! And cameras! Focus on the message and the body language will be in sync with it.
Speaking posture reflects your attitude: confident, alert, and in command of yourself and situation. (Audience doesn t have to worry about you.) Gestures Specific bodily movement that reinforces a verbal message or conveys a thought or emotion. Effective gestures Visible Purposeful Mean to the audience what they mean to the speaker Reflect what s being said Reflect speaker s personality Types of gestures Descriptive clarify or enhance a verbal message. [Size, shape, location, function, number] Emphatic underscore what s being said, indicating earnestness and conviction. [Clenched fist] Suggestive gestures symbols of ideas and emotions. Help create a mood or express a thought. [Open palm-giving, shoulder shrug perplexity] Prompting help evoke a desired response. [demonstrating applause, raise hands] Gesturing effectively: Respond naturally to what you think, say, or feel Create the conditions, not the gestures. Suit the action to the word and occasion Make your gestures convincing Make your gestures smooth and well-timed Make natural, spontaneous gestures a habit Body movement - changing your position or location 5
Broadest, most highly visible physical action. Very powerful: for good or bad. Good: attract audience attention, support and reinforce your message, release anxiety and physical tension. Bad: attract attention without a reason and in a way that makes the audience lose confidence in you. Moderation is key. It s tedious to watch someone glued to one spot. And it s distracting to watch too much movement. So: enough to keep it interesting without being distracting. Reasons to move purposefully Support the structure of your message Dramatize a point Facial expressions Key determinant of meaning behind messages Communicate attitudes and emotions most clearly What is my face doing? Awareness! Smile and eye contact Eye contact After voice, eyes are most powerful communication tool Public speaking is amplified conversation Eye contact = sincerity Eye contact benefits you- can help you guide the audience to the behavior you want from them and encourage you by their attentiveness. Using eye contact effectively Know your material Establish a bond with people individually Monitor visual feedback 6
5:00 Skill development for next time: pick an audience and situation realistic to you but different from last time (unless you really want to keep developing your first speech). Create a 3-5 minute speech on a topic that you would want to inform or persuade this audience on. 7