Public Speaking: tool for advancing your career

LinkedIn’s International Coach Federation group is discussing the importance of mastering public speaking skills in order to advance your career.  Below is my comment on the discussion to date:

Linda, you are absolutely right. In fact my logo says “Conquer Your Fear and Advance Your Career.” As a specialty coach in helping people overcome fear of public speaking, I find that most of my clients come to me for 2 primary reasons, but not primarily because they have fear of public speaking. Either their fear has gotten worse (escalation of fears and phobias is a typical progression) or they have been promoted to a position which requires them to speak and present, while in their previous jobs, they had successfully avoided it most of the time.
Jani’s comment relates to one segment of my coaching of these clients which is so extremely relevant. They need to start thinking of presenting as communication, not recitation, and in the beginning I help them to change their presentations as much as possible to actually include interaction with audience members and some managed interactions among audience members. They inevitably feel less frightened as they begin to see that the true nature of speaking and presenting is carrying a message and coming as close as they can to communicating it in a way that is clear and relevant to their particular audience. They are contributing value, not taking a test.

I support Toastmasters enthusiastically for those whose anxiety for public speaking is not disabling panic. The clients I see are those who can’t face Toastmasters and most of them have tried. So I have an individualized program which includes the powerful fear and trauma desensitization method EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Now a recognized definitively researched method originated in 1987, EMDR has been instrumental in helping many of my clients reduce or eliminate their fear. I also find that teaching ideal performance states, mental rehearsal techniques, mental training exercises, and reframing the nature of the task (“It’s not about you; it’s about what they need.”) helps to build focus, confidence and passion for the task.

I have been following the LinkedIn Public Speaking Group for several months during their discussion of how they handle their nerves, for even public speakers can get unpleasantly nervous. A common thread has been that when they have passion and commitment to the subject matter, they are far less nervous, so for all of us, I think, it makes sense to speak and write as much as possible on subjects we really believe in.

Here’s to advancing as many careers as possible.

Nancy Cetlin, Ed.D.
Fear of Public Speaking Coach
www.nancycetlin.com

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