Fearless Presentations

Latest Episodes:

How to Get Paid to Speak (Even If You Are Still a Little Nervous.) Part 1 of 3 Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

I'm starting a new series on how to get paid to speak this week. And I know that a lot of our regular listeners subscribe to the podcast for tips and tricks to reduce nervousness and become more comfortable in front of a group. However, public speaking is one of (if not THE) highest-paid professions in the world.
In this episode, I'll dispel the myth about what a professional speaker is. Basically, a professional speaker is just a person who someone has paid to give a presentation. So, elementary school teachers are professional speakers. So are trial attorneys. So are salespeople, Realtors, and combat officers who give mission briefings.
Each of these types of presenters delivers information in presentations or briefings that their audiences need in order to solve a problem. However, almost all of them give away this important information for free. So, in this series, I'll show you how you can generate an additional stream of income by speaking about your expertise.
Next week, by the way, I'll give you a step-by-step process to help you refine your presentation to build up your credibility in the marketplace. This, in future episodes, I'll show you how to market yourself as a speaker.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, I need a favor from you, please. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the podcast. Your subscriptions, downloads, and reviews help us keep the show's content free because it allows us to reach a bigger audience.
Show Notes: How to Get Paid to Speak (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/want-a-career-as-a-public-speaker-ways-to-build-public-speaking-credentials/)

How to Get Audience Participation in a Presentation Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

For the last couple of weeks, I've given you a series of presentation enhancers -- things that make good presentations better. This week, I'm going to cover a way that you can enhance persuasive speeches exponentially. If you are trying to win your audience to your way of thinking, then audience participation is a stellar way to do that.
In essence, you can get your audience to convince themselves that your idea is sound.
There are several different types of audience participation, though. So, I'm going to cover my top nine audience engagement ideas.
Show Notes: How to Get Audience Participation in a Presentation (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/9-reliable-ways-to-add-audience-participation-to-your-presentation/)

7 Ways to Make Your Speech More Interesting Part 2 Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Last week I started a two-part series on how to make a presentation more interesting. If you recall from the first episode, I mentioned that you can be the most charismatic and confident speaker on the planet. But if your presentation is boring or complicated or uninteresting, your skill as a speaker won't matter.
So last week, I gave you the first three presentation enhancers. This week, I'll give you four more ways to make a speech more interesting.
Just as a reminder, I know that most people who listen to or download the show are looking for ways to reduce nervousness and feel more confident when they speak. However, there is a HUGE part of the presentation process that often gets overlooked that is critical to help you communicate better and more confidently. You have to be saying something that your audience finds interesting.
You can be the most charismatic and confident speaker on the planet. But if your presentation is boring or complicated or uninteresting, your skill as a speaker won't matter. So in the next couple of episodes, I'm going to reinforce a few things that we have covered in previous episodes that will help you design and deliver better presentations so that your nervousness drops dramatically. (This review is really short, though, and I will include links to those episodes in the show notes.)
Enjoy seven ways to make your presentation more interesting.
Show Notes: 7 Ways to Make Your Speech More Interesting (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/7-stellar-presentation-enhancers-that-add-impact-to-any-speech/)

7 Ways to Make Your Speech More Interesting-Part 1 of 2 May 29, 2023

Show notes

I know that most people who listen to or download the show are looking for ways to reduce nervousness and feel more confident when they speak. However, there is a HUGE part of the presentation process that often gets overlooked that is critical to help you communicate better and more confidently. You have to be saying something that your audience finds interesting.
You can be the most charismatic and confident speaker on the planet. But if your presentation is boring, or complicated, or uninteresting, your skill as a speaker won't matter. So in the next couple of episodes, I reinforce a few things that we have covered in previous episodes that will help you design and deliver better presentations so that your nervousness drops dramatically. (This review is really short, though, and I will include links to those episodes in the show notes.)
Then, I cover seven time-tested ways to make a good speech a fantastic speech. You can call these things ways to add impact, presentation enhancers, or just ways to make any speech more interesting. But these are a few of my favorite public speaking secrets that can really elevate your presentation.
Show Notes: Make a Speech More Interesting (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/7-stellar-presentation-enhancers-that-add-impact-to-any-speech/)

Low Risk Venues Where You Can Practice Your Presentations - Part 2 of 2 May 22, 2023

Show notes

One of the biggest causes of public speaking fear and nervousness is having too much time in between each speech. I mentioned last week that if you only drove a car once a year, each time you got behind the wheel, you'd be nervous.
If you are a comfortable driver, it is because you get behind the wheel pretty often.
It is the same with public speaking. The more often you present, the more comfortable you will be each time. So last week, I began a two-part series on venues where you can practice speaking in front of a group.
We started with a few virtual venues that were the least risky. Those were fantastic speaking venues to get started in. As your confidence grows, try presenting in the speaking venues we cover this week. The more you practice, the less nervous you will become when you present.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, I need a favor from you, please. Would you mind taking a few seconds and leaving me a great review on your podcast app? On Apple podcast, if you go to the show's main page, you can scroll down until you see the review section. Just leave a review letting folks know what you think of the show. The show and all the great content we put out every week is absolutely free, and your reviews help us keep it that way. This helps the show so much and allows us to reach more people. Thanks for the help.
Show Notes: Venues Where You Can Practice Your Presentations (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/podcast-15-how-find-great-venues-practice-your-presentations/)

Low Risk Venues Where You Can Practice Your Presentations - Part 1 of 2 May 15, 2023

Show notes

One of the biggest causes of public speaking fear and nervousness is having too much time in between each speech. For folks who only give a single presentation each month, once every few months, or once a year, there is a good chance that each time you stand up to present, you will be nervous.
If you only drove a car once a year, each time you got behind the wheel, you'd be a nervous wreck (no pun intended.)
If you are a comfortable driver, it is because you get behind the wheel pretty often.
It is the same with public speaking. The more often you present, the more comfortable you will be each time. So, on this episode, I'm going to begin a two-part series on venues where you can practice speaking in front of a group.
This week, I give you the least risky. These are fantastic speaking venues to get started in. As your confidence grows, try presenting in the latter speaking venues. The more you practice, the less nervous you will become when you present.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, I need a favor from you, please. Would you mind taking a few seconds and leaving me a great review on your podcast app? On Apple podcast, if you go to the show's main page, you can scroll down until you see the review section. Just leave a review letting folks know what you think of the show. The show and all the great content we put out every week is absolutely free, and your reviews help us keep it that way. This helps the show so much and allows us to reach more people. Thanks for the help.
Show Notes: Low Risk Venues Where You Can Practice Your Presentations (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/podcast-15-how-find-great-venues-practice-your-presentations/)

Know Your Audience May 08, 2023

Show notes

We often hear the term "Know Your Audience," but what does that really mean? In this episode, I take you through a step-by-step process to help you customize every speech to the needs of the specific audience you are presenting to.
Basically there are four things you need to know about your audience to be able to design a presentation that they want to hear. I spend the first half or more of the episode taking you through this simple four-step process to help you know your audience better.
However, there is another really big concept that most presenters disregard. It is the emotional motive that the audience member has for being there. Once you understand this concept, your audiences will love your presentations.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, please do me a favor. Would you mind taking a few seconds and leaving me a great review on your podcast app? On Apple podcast, if you go to the show's main page, you can scroll down until you see the review section. Just leave a review letting folks know what you think of the show. The show and all the great content we put out every week is absolutely free, and your reviews help us keep it that way. This helps the show so much and allows us to reach more people. Thanks for the help.
Show Notes: Know Your Audience (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/know-your-audience-before-designing-your-sales-presentation/)

How to Calm Down Before a Speech May 01, 2023

Show notes

Want to calm down before a presentation? Even if you don’t regularly experience the fear of public speaking, just before you start a speech, it is easy to feel anxious. This initial nervous energy can cause a speaker to have a shaky voice, dry mouth, or sweaty palms just before a presentation. The good news is that this experience is very common. Most of the time, if you start your presentation well, the level of nervousness will drop very quickly.

However, sometimes when people feel that stage fright, they panic. When you panic in front of an audience, you will most likely experience even more nervous feelings.

So, what do you do to calm down before the presentation and calm those nerves? Below are 5 Simple Ways to Calm Your Nerves Before and During a Speech.

This episode covers each of these tips in more detail. For full show notes, visit How to Calm Down Before a Presentation
(https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-calm-down-before-a-presentation-5-simple-ways-to-calm-your-nerves/)

Public Speaking Fear - Part 2 of 2 Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

This week is part 2 of a 2-part series on public speaking fear. Last week, I showed you where this fear comes from. We also cover five things that people do to try to reduce the nervousness that actually causes more nervousness. This week, I first show you how to lower the risk of failure when you stand up to speak. Then, I'll cover a 4-step process to help you eliminate public speaking fear once and for all.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, I need a favor from you, please. Would you mind taking a few seconds and leaving me a great review on your podcast app? On Apple podcast, if you go to the show's main page, you can scroll down until you see the review section. Just leave a review letting folks know what you think of the show.
The show and all the great content we put out every week are absolutely free, and your reviews help us keep it that way. This helps the show so much and allows us to reach more people.
The Fastest Way to Overcome Stage Fright Is to Lower the Risk of Failure.
How do you overcome the fear of public speaking? Public speaking fear is just like any other anxiety in that the more that is unknown or the bigger the threat, the greater the nervousness that we experience from it. So the best way to tackle this common fear is to lower the risk involved.

When we lower the unknown factors, we lower the threat, and the fear diminishes. In fact, sometimes it even goes away entirely.

Anytime you do something somewhat dangerous, your body will react. Your heart rate will increase. You may get sweaty palms or a queasy stomach. Things, like riding a bike, driving a car, flying in an airplane, or firing a handgun, are all somewhat dangerous for people without any experience doing these things.

If you’ve ever seen a four or five-year-old kid riding a bike, you can typically see the tension in the kid’s face. It’s the same with a teenager with a driver’s permit. That very first time that your plane took off and you felt that tickle in your stomach, you likely grabbed the armrests a little tighter. And police officers practice day after day to get proficient at firing their handguns because they want to be extremely confident.

The point is that fear is normal. However, if you practice in the right way, the fear will go away.
Show Notes: Public Speaking Fear (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/fear-of-public-speaking/)

Public Speaking Fear - Part 1 of 2 Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

This week, I start a 2-part series on public speaking fear. In most of our episodes, we either cover ways to reduce nervousness or present more effectively so the nervousness is less distracting. In these two episodes, though, I'm going to cover what this nervousness is, where it comes from, why most training and coaching backfires and actually causes more nervousness, and how to reduce this fear once and for all.
In fact, in this episode, I show you how public speaking fear is normal, and if you aren't feeling it, you may not be challenging yourself to grow.
So, if you have ever felt public speaking fear, stage fright, or any other type of speech anxiety, listen closely. We cover ways to eliminate this fear once and for all.
What Is Public Speaking Fear?

Stage fright is still one of the most prevalent anxieties in the world. In fact, psychologists created a specific term for this particular social phobia. They call it glossophobia — which is a form of social anxiety disorder.

Basically, this performance anxiety occurs when a person has to stand in front of a group and deliver a presentation. Since the symptoms of this fear are so common, presenters often have questions about why it’s there, where it came from, and how do you get rid of it?

Most people feel like they are the only ones out there who experience butterflies in the stomach, a shaky voice, or shaky hands. However, just about every speaker has some sort of nervousness when presenting in front of groups. The person may have had a bad experience at a previous speaking engagement. Now, when he or she stands to speak n front of any number of people, the person may feel a lot of nervous energy. If the speech is in front of a large audience, he or she may experience a full-blown panic attack.

As a result, a lot of people who feel that stage fright will avoid public speaking situations altogether. These people can miss out on big opportunities. If public speakers don’t do something about the anxiety, it can escalate and turn into a debilitating phobia. With all that being said, though, here is some really good news. As far as anxiety disorders go, this one is really easy to conquer.
Show Notes: Public Speaking Fear (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/fear-of-public-speaking/)

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