0The biggest challenge most of us face when facing an audience is frayed nerves. The moment we get up and face people, our mind is filled up with all kind of thoughts. "Is the audience judging me ?", " What if I forget the talk ?", "Do I look presentable ?" etc.
It is quite normal to feel stressed under such circumstances. However, we do not have the luxury of time to rationalize our thoughts and get our head to think straight when we have so many people waiting to hear our talk.
What do we do under such circumstances ?
Running away is surely not an option. The quickest and easiest way out of this would be to desist from thinking and judging for a moment and focus on action. Your actions have the power to change your thoughts.
- Look up at the audience , establish and maintain eye contact
- Speak up in an audible and firm tone of voice
These two actions are sure to get the attention of your audience and make them sit up and notice your talk.
Why does this work ?
You don't look away when someone is looking at you. You can get your audience to engage with you by maintaining eye contact. When you speak loud and clear, and project your voice, it demands the attention of the audience. They would surely sense conviction and confidence in your tone.
So the next time you have a public speaking engagement or even an office meeting, don't forget these two tips. You'll be surprised at the results that you get !
