Public speaking tips and exercises

Business people often ask me how I seem unafraid and jump at the chance to speak in public, well it was not always that way; I was like most people at some stages of my life, petrified by speaking in public. The main fear seems to be based around the fact that we feel we are going to be ridiculed or laughed at, even humiliated.

Biz-find articles | Public speaking

The cure I found was a simple one;

you have to find your passion.

When you have utter belief in what you are doing, then your passion will always make you a better speaker because through your gut emotions you will always be giving off good body language signals which engages any audience, and when you start to feel them with and you have command, the rest is lots of fun.

I found my passion and belief in my business and I know I can make a difference to any business when it comes to Online Marketing training in Thailand, so I look forward to helping anyone with online marketing  and speaking in front of people.

I still however like to practice and make sure my presentation will be easy to follow, fun and educational and I like to do some pre-speech exercises which help me and I am sure they will help you too:

Be the starfish

Biz-find articles | Public speaking tips

Try pretending to be a starfish which could be the answer to your corporate jitters. Sure, it sounds outlandish, but research suggests that adopting a so-called power pose could make the difference between success and failure in the workplace.

If you are stressed about an upcoming job interview or a difficult encounter in the office, mastering the art of controlling your body language, or “non-verbal cues,” could be the answer you need.

“People have a lot of control over their ability to rise to the occasion and to show their best or their aspirational selves,” said Amy Cuddy, associate professor at Harvard Business School and author of Make Yourself Big: How the Body Shapes the Mind.

‘Something in the way she moves’

Said George Harrison he was on to something eh!

Controlled experiments suggest our body biochemistry can be manipulated to produce a greater sense of confidence and control, simply by changing our posture.

In one study, researchers randomly gave people; either a “high power” pose, such as hands in the air, or a “low power” pose, including hunching over and crossing arms to practice. After giving a saliva sample to measure their baseline hormone levels, subjects were left in a room for a couple of minutes in their high or low pose.

They were then subjected to behavioural tests. In one they were given a little extra money to gamble. The power pose adopters were the most likely to gamble.

Subsequent saliva tests showed that power poses caused an increase testosterone levels by 20% and cortisol levels reduced by 25%. Testosterone is associated with confidence and cortisol is linked to stress. Low-power poses had the opposite effect, reducing testosterone by 10% and increasing cortisol by 15%.

“This is so much about being present in the moment,” said Cuddy. “It’s pretty simple and actionable if you have a body and some privacy.”

In the Bathroom first!

The key, says Cuddy, is to adopt the pose before you walk into a situation where you need to impress. Avoid chest puffing or big arm gesticulations in front of your boss.

The science seems suggests that only a short period spent adopting a power pose, could have a significant, positive effect on your dominance and status.

Anecdotal evidence also suggests that this behaviour could help alleviate depression. Some people have reported that when they adopt a power pose they are not able to hold on to negative feelings.

In a surprising twist, Cuddy also believes the same principles apply in the digital world and may affect remote workers. Assuming the persona of a tall avatar could, for example, give someone the edge in an online negotiation or debate, she suggests.

So Mum was right; stand up straight, stop slouching and make a good strong confident overall impression for your self-esteem.

One other area you may need to add to to improve confidence is your attire, nothing says success better than a custom fitted Suit and dress shirt from the best Tailor in Bangkok and we have the very best in Bangkok Tailor on our doorstep:

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