Whenever people talk about public speaking, a perennial subject is "how do you deal with nervousness?" As Jerry Seinfeld says, for most people it's easier to be in the coffin than to give the eulogy.
A lot of speakers try to conquer their nervousness by suppressing every kind of energy.
As an executive speech writer for 28 years, I've sat through my share of dress rehearsals for big meetings. One of the most common problems I've seen is speakers with too little energy. Emotionally, they're cruising through their remarks at 15 miles an hour with one foot on the brake.
Their emotions are set on "low." Psychologists call this detachment "lack of affect." Audiences naturally interpret a speaker's low energy as lack of interest in the topic, the audience, and the event. Not good.
Instead of suppressing your nervous energy, let it out. A good speech coach can help you practice turning nervous energy into performance energy.
Tom Peters and Robert McKee are two examples of very successful public speakers who have turned performance energy into an art form.
The first time I saw Tom Peters speak, I sat in the front row -- so I got the full effect. He rants. He bellows. He patrols the stage like an angry wrestler. You get the feeling that this is a man on a mission -- and if you're not buying it, he's coming after you.
Robert McKee has spoken to more than 50,000 people in his Story Seminar on screenwriting. McKee is really passionate. You know he's completely committed to his topic. He shouts. He warns interrupters to shut up. He's angry -- and he lets you know why.
McKee appears as a character, played by Brian Cox, in the movie Adaptation -- as McKee giving his Story Seminar. What's on the screen is the real McKee. He's bombastic, profane, and completely believable. I know; I've taken his course twice.
What's the lesson here?
Successful speakers communicate profound belief in their own messages. They do it with emotion. Don't pull back from your emotions. Move toward them. Use performance energy to win over your audiences.
Pete,
As a presentation coach, I see what you describe all the time: someone who is trying to control their nervousness comes across as uninteresting and dull because they lack energy.
My advice:
Change your paradigm about the sensation you are labeling as fear or anxiety. Instead of labeling it as “fear,” think of it as energy. Channel that energy.
Scale up the energy level! You will command more attention and project more confidence and charisma. I cannot stress this strongly enough. 80 – 90% of the presenters that I observe do not expend enough energy. Hence, they come across as uninvolved, uninteresting, and unenthusiastic.
Thanks for the post.
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That's good, instead of suppressing your nervous energy, let it out. A good speech coach can help you practice turning nervous energy into performance energy.
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