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Conquer Your Greatest
Fear: Public Speaking
June 12, Noon EDT
Do you break out in a cold sweat
before giving a presentation?
Do you dread speaking before
groups or think, “I can’t wait to get this over with”?
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or make up excuses so you don’t have to?
Do you want to be more effective?
If you answered, “Yes!” to any of
the above, then
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Feature Story . . . |
Visualize Your Success!
Power up your mind for a positive outcome
by Marsha Freedman, MS
How would you like to learn a powerful mental technique that athletes and a wide range of professionals use to ensure their success? It's called visualization.
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Visualization is an amazing technique you can easily master by closing your eyes and picturing yourself engaged in a particular activity. This signals your body to program its actions in the exact manner as if you actually did them. A study conducted at the University of Chicago to determine the effects of visualization on the performance of basketball players proved this.¹
The people leading the study divided the players into three groups and recorded their scores. Group One was instructed to practice free throwing at the gym for an hour each day. Group Two was told to go to the gym, but instead of practicing, to lie down and visualize themselves successfully engaged in the activity for an hour. Group Three was told to forget about basketball altogether. After 30 days, the three groups were retested.
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Group One, the group that practiced every day, increased their performance by 24 percent. The group that didn't do anything related to the sport, Group Three, showed no improvement. Group Two, the one that used just the visualization, improved their scores by 23 percent, only one percent less of an increase than the group that practiced an hour a day!
Professional athletes and top-notch performers in a wide range of disciplines use positive, conscious visualization to improve their performance. You can use these same skills to prepare mentally for giving a presentation. Follow these five steps:
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Relax, close your eyes and concentrate.
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Picture the size of the room.
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See the arrangement of the chairs.
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Imagine the location of the audiovisual equipment.
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Picture the audience members in their seats.
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Now visualize walking to the front of the room.
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Set up your notes, if any, and take a few seconds to get settled.
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Stand straight, look at the audience, initiate eye contact with a few friendly faces and smile.
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Begin speaking, while still maintaining eye contact.
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Start with your attention-grabber, then move on to the rest of your introduction, feeling confident that you're off to a great start.
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After you've completed your introduction, visualize delivering the body of your presentation.
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You feel confident because your speech is clearly organized with transitions between points, and you have chosen strong supporting material.
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You're using clear, concise and concrete language.
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Visualize your appropriate and properly timed gestures.
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Picture using your visual aids while maintaining eye contact with the audience.
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Imagine the audience leaning in and listening attentively.
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Now, move into the conclusion.
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Envision reviewing your main points.
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Repeat your objective. Add or repeat a sentence that will heighten the presentation's impact.
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Pause before your strong closing statement, which you deliver with finality.
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After the speech, take in the room:
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Allow your eyes to slowly scan the room while you nod your head.
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Picture the audience nodding with you, then clapping for you.
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Receive your applause gracefully and gather your materials.
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Then return to your seat, knowing that you've done a great job!
How do you feel after your visualization exercise? Hopefully wonderful!
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| | The interesting thing about this technique is that your mind doesn't know the difference between reality and your visualization of reality. When you arrive at the speech location, your mind will say, "Oh, we're delivering that speech again, the one we've already delivered 12 times! Your mind will not comprehend that this is your first time 'live.'"
While using this visualization technique, try to fill in as many details as possible and rehearse the scenario repeatedly. If you're speaking at an unfamiliar location, visit it ahead of time and find out how the room will be set up for the day of your speech. Arrive a little early that day, and practice out loud to make yourself feel more comfortable. If you follow these suggestions, when it's your turn to speak, you'll feel that you "own" the room and that you're ready for a successful performance.
|
Webinar
Conquer Your Greatest Fear: Public Speaking
June 12, Noon EDT
Do you break out in a cold sweat before giving a presentation?
Do you dread speaking before groups or think, “I can’t wait to get this over with”?
Do you avoid giving presentations or make up excuses so you don’t have to?
Do you want to be more effective?
If you answered, “Yes!” to any of the above, then register for this complimentary webinar. | |
To recap, when you use visualization, picture yourself delivering your entire presentation, step-by-step, in a positive light. See the audience warmly receiving your message, and hear them applauding for you. Best of all — feel what it's like to be a winner! During visualization, you're programming yourself for success. You're using the most powerful tool of all — your mind!
And … you'll follow in the steps of many highly accomplished professionals and athletes who've proven that this technique works. So … visualize your success and make it happen!
¹Jaime Licauco, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Inner Awareness" (27 May 2003).
About the author:
Marsha Freedman, MS, is a trainer, coach, professional speaker and university communication instructor. She is producer of the Powerful Presentations CD program and author of a workbook on presentation anxiety. Contact her at mfreedman@xprself.com. Her Web site is http://www.xprself.com.
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