超越演讲恐惧.doc

Break Through the Fear Barrier Overview The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. —Franklin Delano Roosevelt The mind is a wonderful thing—it starts working the minute youre born and never stops until you get up to speak in public. —Roscoe Drummond At a personal and professional growth clinic I once ran, I worked closely with the meeting planners to determine the interests and needs of my audience. My group was concerned about increasing their power within their organizations, but they also indicated that they did not want me to spend a lot of time on public speaking. I held a discussion on it anyway and had the participants deliver presentations. At the end of the clinic, the evaluations indicated that public speaking was the most valuable segment of all. Some participants confessed the reason they didnt want to see it covered was fear—of public speaking. According to The Book of Lists, public speaking—not bugs, heights, deep water, or even death—is the foremost fear in the world. What are we so afraid of? What can a room full of people sitting quietly in their chairs—presumably unarmed—do to a speaker? Understanding why facing an audience inspires such fear is the first step toward controlling it. The Origins of Public-Speaking Panic Its Lonely in the Spotlight As a speaker, youre a person apart from the crowd. People are more comfortable in groups than leading them; that way, no one is on the spot, and others can carry the conversation if you run out of ideas. Speaking isolates you; it removes you from your peers and designates you as different from everyone else—youre the one who has something worthwhile to say. Some people relish this attention; others, understandably, find the sudden spotlight daunting. The trick is to accept being singled out; its temporary, and its probably an honor, too. So try to see it as an honor, because your perception of the event will be crucial to your success. It also helps if you dont let the spotlight become a barrier. Man