Performance Anxiety

Minutes before our class, I re-read a brief article on conquering the fear of public speaking written by Morton C. Orman, M.D.

http://www.stresscure.com/jobstress/speak.html

I like his commonsense approach and his affirmation of the individuality of each speaker. I'm constantly awed by the confidence it takes to stand up in front of a group of people who are there to "critique the performance".

Today we shared, analyzed, made suggestions and re-worked individual presentations. I noticed that the sequence followed the usual pattern. The first presentation had it's usual special energy and excitement to it. The second re-working got a little sloppy (words were forgotten, etc.). The presenter was thinking about the changes, processing them, and making the adjustments his/her own. The final presentation then had a new energy, one of confidence and ease. Vocal inflections ceased to rise at the end of sentences and the material was no longer rushed. Even though the knowledge base hadn't changed in such a short time, the perception from the audience was that the presenter's knowledge of the material had grown.

Today one of the participants commented, "During the final presentation, there was a shift in the tone of my voice. It felt more genuine."

Maybe there is something to the old adage, "Practice makes perfect."

Don't write today, just practice.