Public Speaking Tips - How to Feel and Be More Confident About Yourself When Speaking in Public

As the Master of Ceremonies calls out your name,you slowly walk up to the stage amidst the applause of your audience to shake his hands.

And as you are walking up, you try very hard to keep the smile on your face while hiding your anxiousness.
Glancing back, you saw that in the eyes of the audience that they are full of anticipation, eager to hear what you have to share with them. Now, butterflies start to form in your stomach. You can feel the cold sweat trickling down your forehead and doubts begin to occupy your mind...

"What if I forget the important points of my speech? What will the audience think of me? Will they laugh at me if I say something wrong? What should I do if they laugh at me?"
After taking the last few painful steps, you finally manage to reach the emcee and shake his hands. Now the applause eventually died down and you are now on the stage... ALONE!!
As a speaker on stage, you are like a warrior fighting a battle with no allies around you. You're there alone... and you've no one to fall back to if anything goes wrong.

You know you can't afford to be anxious. After all, you've religiously followed the 4 steps to overcoming your fears of public speaking and you know you'll be able to impress your audience with your speech - if you manage to deliver it properly and thoroughly, as what you've practiced weeks ago!
My friend, getting anxious and having butterflies in your stomach before your public speaking engagement is common. In fact, no matter how great a speaker is, he or she is bound to feel anxious and nervous. Even so, that doesn't mean you have to show and tell everyone that you're anxious.

After all, you won't get a single sympathy by letting people know that you are nervous so why bother? Those accomplished speakers know how to camouflage their nervousness. Come and put up a great smile and forget about the stage fright.

Below are 2 great ways I personally used (and coach my students to use) to overcome their fears of public speaking...

Overcome Fears of Public Speaking Tip #1: Self-Visualisation
You probably have heard of the acronym of F.E.A.R, Felse Evidence Appearing Real.
Since you can't force yourself to stop imagining things, then why not use your imagination to your public speaking advantage by thinking of something positive?
Before your public speaking engagement, create a mental image of yourself giving the talk and getting a positive response from your audience. Imagine you're relax and confidence on the stage and your audience are listening attentively at what you've to share with them.

And as you conclude your speech, the audience are bewildered and give you a standing ovation.
Play this image over and over again in your mind. Now, how do you feel now? Do you feel as fearful as you were before?
This form of creative self-visualisation is also used by athletes who visualise themselves winning.

Overcome Fears of Public Speaking Tip #2: Move Around
Most public speaking coaches often advise their students to stand in one position when giving their talk and not move around. They believe that by standing in one position, they are less likely to display their anxiousness and nervousness to the audience.

You know what? I think otherwise!
Go ahead and walk around the stage! Don't just stand in one position.

Walk up and down, move from left to the right... Move in any directions you want. By moving around, it will better help you dissipate the nervous energy as compared to standing in one position fidgeting.

Overcoming your fear of public speaking can be hard and seems impossible at the start, however, with the help from a professional public speaking coach, the journey can be easier and smoother than what you believe it to be.

With 20 over years of public speaking coach, regardless if you want to improve your coaching skills as a trainer, to learn some powerful tips and tricks to writing impactful and engaging speeches or become a more crowd engaging Master of Ceremonies, Ernest Chen can help you to achieve that!
For more information about his Singapore public speaking courses, visit his website at http://www.EarnestlySpeaking.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ernest_Chen

Becoming a Confident Manager - 5 Tips to Help You Become More Confident in Any Situation

How confident are you as a manager?
What situations make you feel a little unsure, uncomfortable or less confident about how to handle?
For the new manager, being thrust into suddenly having responsibility for achieving through others can feel daunting, intimidating or overwhelming. (Particularly when some of those "others" may be people you used to work alongside).

Even for the manager who has been managing for years, with the ever-changing market place, new technologies and a more diverse range of ages and cultures in your workplace, there are likely to be many situations which leave you feeling a little nervous or unsure.

Way back in my career as a teacher, I remember standing nervously in front of 30 expectant, intelligent, articulate individuals, all waiting to see how well I would perform, how successfully I could engage them, and how much of a "pushover" I was going to be!
Did it make my knees knock a little? You bet!
Later, as I took my first tentative steps towards mentoring, coaching and managing others in industry, I would feel those same feelings: nervousness; worried about my ability to manage what could be some quite tricky situations; concern about how others might perceive me and just a little vulnerable - did I know enough to do this job well?
Where do managers feel a lack of confidence?
There are three key areas which many managers report are the most tricky for them. What are they?
1. Managing others who have higher qualifications than you or who are qualified in a different discipline.

2. Influencing peers or external stakeholders where you have no direct authority, but good working relationships with these people are fundamental to good performance.

3. Managing upwards. Whew is this a biggie! In many of the workshops I run, when I ask people to think of who they most want to be more effective at managing, a staggering proportion of those attending include their immediate line manager or higher in their top 3.

Each of these situations requires both consummate communication skills and a high degree of self-confidence.

So, what does a manager need to do to increase their confidence in these, or any other, "tricky" situations?
5 keys to building your self-confidence as a manager:
1. Do what you believe to be right - even if others mock or criticise you for it. From the moment you take on any management role, others are looking at you to see what kind of a manager you are going to be. Just as those children were "sussing me out" in the classroom all those years ago, your staff are doing the same with you. How you behave sets the scene for everything else.

This is about two things really: a) Getting absolutely clear about what's really important to you, in terms of what needs to be accomplished, and what attitudes and behaviours you expect. Think of it as creating your own vision of "how we do things around here".

b) When it comes to core values about how people work together you never compromise. In all else, you are open to suggestion and influence. In recent studies, outstanding managers, with the highest performing, most committed teams, all had crystal clear ideas about the kind of culture they wanted to create, and what was important to them - and they communicated this to everyone they worked with and gained "buy in" from all key stakeholders.

When you feel clear and comfortable about what's really important to you, and everything you do demonstrates this, even if others don't always agree with you, they will respect your integrity, trust you, and know where they stand. Chances are you'll have fewer tricky situations in future too!
2. Realise you don't have to know it all. There's a very interesting video on "You-Tube" which really demonstrates the almost frightening pace of change which affects business today. Check out Karl Fisch's "Shift Happens" when you have a moment.

For now, it's useful to see your role, not as being an "expert" at a particular subject, but rather an "expert" at helping to facilitate the expertise of others!
Instead of being intimidated by someone who seems more qualified than you, ask yourself: "How can I utilise this expertise for the benefit of the individual, the team, and the organisation?"
When you focus on what you can do to help others help you achieve the overall goals, not only do you get better results, you develop an awesome reputation as a highly skilled leader.

Every really successful CEO I've ever come across sees others' expertise and ambition as an opportunity - not a threat! The best managers just need to know how to engage smart people to get the job done.

3. Be willing to take risks, and go the extra mile to achieve things Building your own sense of personal power and influence comes from being willing to take risks yourself; from facing your fears, and dealing with what you know needs to be done.

At a personal level, if you don't face the underperforming member of staff, for example, because you don't feel confident to deal with it, you become trapped and nothing will be resolved until something forces the situation. Your confidence is likely to decrease even more as time goes on. Meanwhile, don't kid yourself others aren't noticing. They are. And this will further dent your confidence.

4. Admit your mistakes - and learn from them This really follows on from tip number 3.

If you're going to be willing to take risks - you won't always get it right! However, as long as you learn from that mistake, you will be ready to try something different, and each time you do, you'll increase your confidence. And if you create a culture where others see it's OK to make mistakes, you'll build the confidence of your staff too!
5. Give credit to others We all know people who are expert at extolling their own virtues! Individuals who have a high level of self-esteem and confidence don't need to shout about their accomplishments.

Don't feel the need to shout about what you've done, or what you know. Instead, give others the limelight at every opportunity. Whether you're managing up, down or across, think of how you can help others to excel, and you are more likely to be rewarded with excellence.

And when you achieve excellent results, allow yourself a pat on the back, accept any compliments about how well you managed those diverse individuals gracefully, and get excited about the next challenges!
Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner

Shona Garner is an experienced Executive and Business Coach, specialising in helping managers build top performing teams, and increase their own standing in the organisation. For instant access to a free guide with the top ten tips for motivating and engaging your team visit http://10toptips.increasingmanagerialsuccess.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shona_Garner

How to Become a More Confident Student

If you are a university student who is studying and facing exams, you already know that you will benefit from learning better studying techniques and better note-taking methods. What you may not know is that an important part of being a good learner is to feel very confident about your learning ability.

Why is it important to have good confidence in our ability to learn?
When you don't have a good confidence in your learning ability, you will approach learning situations and exams in a state of nervousness and anxiety. A lack of confidence in your learning ability will actually interfere with you ability to study effectively, and it will interfere with your ability to remember what you have learned.

Being completely confident and happy about your learning ability will lessen your anxiety. Confidence in yourself will improve your learning perfomance and improve your memory of what you have studied.

How can you tell whether or not you lack confidence in yourself as a learner?
If you lack confidence about your learning ability, you probably already know it because you become very tense and nervous about facing exams.

When you are in a learning situation, pay attention to the sorts of thoughts that frequently go through your mind. What messages are you telling yourself? Spend several days becoming aware of the way you talk to yourself internally. Write down the thoughts that pass through your mind so that you can review them.

Are your statements about yourself mostly positive or mostly negative? Do your thoughts reflect confidence in your own abilities? Or are you constantly yelling at yourself for your mistakes and shortcomings? Are you calling yourself stupid, lazy, or unsuccessful?
If your statements to yourself about your learning ability are mostly negative, you may think that yelling at yourself will make you try harder and improve your performance. Actually, this negative self talk will increase your anxiety and will interfere with your ability to learn effectively.

Take some time to watch very young children learn. During the first few years of life, humans learn a huge amount of information at a much quicker rate than they will ever learn again. When very young children learn, they do so in an attitude of joy and exploration. They don't criticize themselves for being bad learners.

Even as adults, we do our best learning in an atmosphere of fun and exploration. We learn better when we think learning is fun. We don't learn as well when we tell ourselves that we are stupid.

If your negative opinion of yourself is holding you back, how do you go about changing it? Two very effective techniques that can help you change your self-image are affirmations and visualization.

Instead of focusing on your current negative self-assessments, focus instead on the kind of person you would like to be. What personal qualities do you want to have?
Write down a description of how you would like to be and how you would like to perceive yourself. Write out some simple phrases that express your desired qualities as something that you have right now.

Spend time creating images of yourself learning easily, and let the feelings of confidence fill you up. Revisit these positive images frequently. See yourself succeeding in your exams, and feel the sensations you would feel as you get a very good mark.

Using visualizations and affirmations correctly can go a long way to improve your confidence in your ability to learn, and when you are more confident about your learning ability, you will actually learn better.

This article is written by Royane Real, author of "Your Quick Guide to Improving Your Learning Ability" If you are a student who wants to improve your learning results, download this special report today at [http://www.royanereal.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Royane_Real

Developing Courage - How to Become More Confident

About Courage
Courage is the ultimate decider when it comes to successfully reaching the desired results for goal setting.

Without the element of courage, even the slightest hint of a problem will create the negative factor which may cause the negativity to set in. Once the commitment is made towards a particular venture the courage element is the recognizable element that will keep the venture on track till its end.

However there are a few aspects that need to be carefully considered before beginning to consider setting up courage goals.

More often than not people become too comfortable at some point in life which can cause them to lapse in an unexciting or at worst unproductive cycle.

This is of course a very poor state of affairs which should be addressed. Sometimes getting out of the comfort zone requires the individual to face the fears such as feeling overwhelmed, decisions to move to the next level, expansions that are happening too quickly or slower than anticipated are just a few that can cause a certain level of panic for the individual.

There are many other varying elements that can cause a person to avoid venturing out of their comfort zones, but sometimes taking smaller steps is what is most effective rather than making rash and huge adjustments.

Though most individual tend to stick to what they are most familiar with, taking the challenge to try something new can often bring about surprising results.

Being open to trying something new is one way of breaking out of the comfort zone, as these new forays may require the individual to learn or acquire new skills or thought processes which can eventually be beneficial in other aspects of their lives.

Expanding one's social circles can also contribute to the exercise of stepping out of the comfort zone.

Networking is an important contributor to the expansion of one's social circle which dictates the connections formed both on personal levels as well as business levels.

Through this exercise there are many possibilities that can be made available to the individual and besides the obvious expanding contacts one's knowledge base can also be widened considerably.

Another less explored though still very effective is the use of meditation, music, imagination, breathing and body to break out of the comfort zone.

Though unconventional these techniques have proven to be beneficial and less "threatening" when explored.
You really need to get information and tools to build courage in every aspect of your life.

Donald N. Lombardi reveals more about courage in his new book, "Courage Conqueror" Courage Conqueror.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_N_Lombardi

How To Be More Successful By Being Physically Fit

Could you imagine if your energy levels were endless and you could turn water into wine?
Okay, maybe not turn water into wine but imagine if you felt great, all the time. I know. It seems like a dream, but really, it's not.

Having the energy and superhuman power to be a business professional is easier than it sounds.

Lets be honest.

Most business professionals are slouched over a desk getting 5 colds a year with high blood pressure. Sadly, I've been there.

This is a pretty crappy place to be but you can overcome it and kick start your health to be a better business professional.

Here are 5 benefits of being physically fit and how they can make you more successful:
1) Know who you are by being confident
When you feel good, you look good and when you look good you're confident. Being physically fit encourages confidence by giving you the tools to stand up straight, look people in the eye and speak with conviction. This sends signals not only to yourself but also to others that you're proud and confident in who you are.

People do business with confident people. They know their products and / or services, they know themselves and they definitely know their clients.

2) Boost in brain power = boost in revenue
We've all heard that exercise is heart healthy but it also has significant benefits for your noggin (yes, that's your head).

If your brain is working better the more ideas you'll generate and the more rational you'll become. This is associated by a direct link to an increase in revenue.

3) Trash the feeling of stress by learning to cope with it
Being physically fit gives you the added benefit of receiving a constant flow of endorphins. These little brain neurotransmitters are your "feel-good" source and can be contributed to stress reduction.

The less stressed you are the more coherent and rational you'll be. Who wants to work for or deal with an irate maniac? Being able to cope with stress is crucial to becoming more successful.

4) If you're more efficient, more opportunities will open
One of the best benefits of being physically fit for business professionals is its ability to make you more productive. It boosts your energy, makes you alert and increases your confidence. All 3 of these produce a spike in your productivity.

We can conclude that the more productive you are the more gets done, right? Being more productive opens the door to added possibilities.

5) The more fuel you have, the more effort you can give the world
We can all feel like a drag during the day, it's normal. But another benefit of being physically fit is the spike in energy you'll experience. By delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your organs you'll feel like a new person. Okay, maybe not a new "person" but better than you did before.

The more energy you have, the more you can get done. The more you get done, the better off your business will be.

Be warned that there's one drawback to being fit. The I-need-to-be-more-fit-and-cardio-is -the-only-way-to-get-there mentality. Never, ever, ever get stuck in the mindset that you must do cardio to lose weight.

If you enjoy running half marathons, triathlons, and bicycling for 50 miles, that's great. But never think you have to if you don't enjoy it. Remember follow your passions.

The benefits of being physically fit for every entrepreneur is a no brainer. In order to achieve the greatest success, your mind, body and soul must be plentiful and healthy. If you can't take care of yourself, how can you take care of a business? It's a tough question, but think about it.

Do you have a comment on this topic? Head on over to the benefits of being physically fit and let's talk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Anglin

Becoming a Confident Person in Social Situations

Will becoming a confident person make people like you more? Will being a confident person bring you more success?
The experience of becoming a confident person has been recognized as the key factor between someone who is successful and someone who is not. Self-confident people have qualities that everyone admires.

Improving your self-confidence will strengthen your relationships and increase your success at work and at home.

How to Find Confidence Around People You Don't Know
Are you one of those people that always feel nervous and shy about how to start a conversation with a stranger or making small talk with someone you barely know? If it's any consolation, you are not alone. An incredible number of people confess to being awkwardly shy in social situations. Even people who consider themselves to be outgoing in everyday situations lose their confidence around people they don't know. How to mingle at parties without experiencing a panic sensation when the realization hits that there's not one familiar soul to be had becomes a very uncomfortable challenge.

How do people cope when shyness hits? When people don't feel confident in social situations, some will become wall flowers. Others will quietly sneak out as soon as possible. The brave ones struggle to make conversation but usually give up after getting interrupted or ignored and busy themselves in a text messaging marathon.

With a blow to your self-esteem, you may now start to criticize yourself. "Why am I such a loser? Why can't I fit in?" Once you start to pass judgment on yourself in your mind, any attempt at becoming a confident person quickly goes down hill.

A person who intuitively knows how to be more confident in social situations seems to inspire others and people are drawn to them. That's not to say a confident person is smarter or more knowledgeable and has all the answers. The truth is, a self-confident person is not afraid to ask questions on topics they are not familiar with. They feel little or no desire to impress others with what they know because they already feel comfortable in their own skin. They are confident with who they are.

How to Build Self Esteem and Confidence
By becoming a confident person, you allow yourself to take risks. The next time you find yourself in an awkward social setting, make it your own private goal to have at least one good conversation with someone.

If that someone turns out to be a dud, let it be. Keep looking until you really enjoy talking to someone and they are happy to have your acquaintance. Look at it this way, you probably are helping someone else who also has difficulty at being a confident person and interacting in social situations.

Once you get some dialogue going, rather than trying to control the circumstances that brought you together, relax, maintain eye contact and enjoy listening to what the other person has to say. Humor is refreshing, but don't feel like you have to be the life of the party. No one likes a comedian that's trying too hard to be witty.

Becoming a confident person can make you feel positive about your life. Knowing how to build self esteem and confidence will make you more attractive and fun to be around.

Read more on how you can Build Your Self Esteem and Confidence [http://www.mentalselfhelpsuccess.com/how-to-gain-self-confidence.html].

Talk directly to your subconscious mind - Self Confidence Affirmations Using Subliminal Therapy [http://www.mentalselfhelpsuccess.com/mental-self-help-pages-confidence/how-to-get-more-self-confidence.html]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margue_Rite

How to Become a More Attractive Man

So you want to learn how to be more attractive to women and get them to chase you. Well then let me tell you that it's not all about the looks and physical appearances (although that helps - a lot!)
Sure, who wouldn't want to look at rock hard abs, six packs, muscled arms, tall and muscular figure, ahem. But to the right woman, it takes more than abs and killer dimples to impress her (but again, that helps a lot!)

Carrying a normal conversation
You need to be able to carry a normal conversation with her, preferably something that doesn't involve leering or staring at her breasts. You can't exactly take her out on a date and be silent the whole time. But you can't bore her to death on your many awards and achievements either.

You need to learn to talk and listen and tell a story with humor and emotions. You need a variety of topics because the better you get at making conversations, the more women will find you fascinating and would want to spend more time with you.

Confidence
One of the most important things you need to be more attractive to women is to have confidence. One example is this whole "alpha male" attitude or take care behavior. No need to be bossy but women do like a man who can take charge and knows what he wants. It means that she can rely on you and you can take care of others as well as yourself.

In other words, you know your worth and that you're worthy of attention. You're strong and independent and you're well capable of protecting yourself and your partner. It's a magnetic behavior that can make women have goosebumps and make her feel all tingly inside. Imagine having a strong, confident man beside who would keep her safe.

Sense of humor
A sense of humor is a must if you want to be more attractive to women. This is especially important in communication. Again, you don't want to bore her or make her think that you're a stiff. Humor and laughter can help you bond with someone, in this case, your date.

She would want to spend time with you if you can make her laugh because you know how to make her feel good. You can socially connect with her and you can make her feel close to you. You can break the ice between the two of you and soon she would become more open and maybe even learn to trust you.

Get a life and find a passion
If you want to be interesting then you need to do something interesting. You can't impress her and say you're interesting if you spend most of your time being a couch potato. Go do something interesting, try some new things, new hobbies, or find a passion.

If you have something you're passionate about then you would have direction in your life. Maybe you really love sports or your career or you're into traveling. Traveling would be good because a lot of people like to travel. And if you have that special someone in your life, then you can take her with you and it will be even more fun!
Bottom line is, being attractive to women is not all about looks. It's about being you and being the right kind of man for her. You can have the rock hard abs but if you can't carry a conversation, or have a sense of humor, or have passion or confidence, then you're nothing more than eye candy to her.

These are just the first steps to attracting and keeping the woman of your dreams. Click Here to really get inside a woman's mind. Find out what she is thinking, what she really wants and how to secure the right woman in your life - minus the heartache and drama.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meredith_Cruz