3 Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">As you look out into the crowd, a sea of eager faces stares back, ready for you to shock, educate, or inspire them. </span></span><br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">No pressure.</span></em></div> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the often-terrifying reality of public speaking — something many of us avoid at all costs.</span></span></div> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">However, at least some public speaking is required in almost every profession — so you should take the time to master it, writes Alex Malley, chief executive at CPA Australia. "Become good at it and your career will benefit," says Malley, who spent 20 years giving university lectures. "It is worth a bit of pain and it will open up your life."</span></span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Public speaking doesn't have to be a point of stress. Deliver a strong presentation to a rapt audience once, and not only will it boost your confidence in your public speaking abilities, it will propel you to deliver a winning speech every time. </span></span></div> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">To get started, here are three of Malley's top tips for conquering your fear of public speaking: <img alt="presentation speech" border="0" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/53b57507eab8eaf34b7418bd-480-/presentation-speech-4.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; width: 372px;" width="480" /></span></span></div> <div class="related-links-container minimal ks-see-also" data-bi-heatmap="53b57386ecad04046429f2b2"> </div> <h3 class="p2" style="margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Be concise.</span></span></h3> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">An engaged audience is a friendly audience, and a friendly audience makes the speaker's job <em>much</em> less stressful. To keep your audience intrigued throughout your presentation, never let them get bored. No matter how interesting the topic is to you, audience members will get bored if you cover the same subject for too long, so keep it succinct. "Cover a topic just enough to pique the audience's curiosity – less is always more," Malley says.</span></span></div> <h3 class="p2" style="margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Know your audience. </span></span></h3> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Knowing your audience actually cares about what you have to say will help keep your nerves at bay, so make the presentation personal and customized to each crowd. "Do your homework," Malley says. "Never has it been easier to access information about your awaiting audience or the organizations they work for." Find a way to connect what you're saying with an issue they care about.</span></span></div> <h3 class="p2" style="margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">3. Rehearse out loud.</span></span></h3> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Providing too much detail is the easiest way to lose an audience, Malley says. To prevent yourself from falling down this rabbit-hole, Malley recommends making an outline of your three to five main points, and connecting these into a flowing conversation by rehearsing out loud. When you hear what you're saying as you plan the speech, you'll recognize if one portion drags on too long.</span></span></div> <div class="p2" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Other tips: Start on a good note, and prepare for the worst, he says. Make sure your introduction grabs the audience's attention, because this first impression is crucial in getting them to relate to you and listen to what you're saying. And, finally, brainstorm any worst-case scenarios ahead of time, and create fallback plans for each, he concludes.</span></span></div> </div>

3 Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

As you look out into the crowd, a sea of eager faces stares back, ready for you to shock, educate, or inspire them.  No pressure. Thi...

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9 Subtle Things Leaders Do That Show They Have Integrity

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div> <span style="font-size: large;">-Richard Feloni</span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">"Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers," Napoleon Hill wrote in his 1937 book on success, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/1497342406/ref%3Dsr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400702763&sr=8-3&keywords=think+and+grow+rich" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Think and Grow Rich</a>."</span></span><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Leaders who live with integrity inspire their followers to adopt their own ideals, which makes them more willing to support their vision.</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">True integrity is not paraded about for others to admire, but is shown through small actions and behaviors. Quora users discussed how to spot these qualities in the popular thread: "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/%20" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">What is the single most revealing thing about any person?</a>"</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">We've highlighted the best answers and added some of our own insight. Here are nine subtle, yet revealing things that people with integrity do:</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div> </div> <div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">1. They support the team, even under pressure.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">"It is when we are under pressure that our true colors come out," says <a href="http://qr.ae/ot9Qb" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Jill Uchiyama</a>. It is natural to want to fall back on your ego when dealing with a period of increased stress and challenge. Great leaders are able to set aside selfish impulses and do what will benefit their entire team.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">2. They take responsibility for their problems.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://qr.ae/otDhZ" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Bin Luo</a> shares a quote from President Abraham Lincoln: "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">For example, if an entrepreneur's startup falls apart before it can become profitable, they can become angry at the market, their employees, or their investors, blaming the failure on everyone and everything but themselves. The best leaders do not become angry with themselves to the point of self-destruction, but rather get to a point where they can accept their mistakes and learn from them.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">3. They help others without expecting something in return.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Someone with true integrity does not place their own desires above all else, says <a href="http://qr.ae/otBDz" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Becky Lee</a>. Successful people know that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/habits-of-exceptionally-likable-people-2014-5" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">doing a good deed for someone else often compels that person to want to reciprocate</a>, which can be a great networking strategy. But a person with true integrity helps others when it is the right thing to do, and having it reciprocated is just a pleasant side effect.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">4. They still live by their principles when given power.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://qr.ae/otjxd" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Abhisek Pattnaik</a> refers to another Lincoln quote on integrity: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">If someone abandons their ideals once they are given real influence over an organization, they reveal that those ideals were more a disguise than rooted in their identity.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">5. They treat low-level employees with respect.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Leaders with integrity recognize that every person plays a role in their company, from a senior manager to the janitor, and does not patronize or belittle any of them.</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Further, says <a href="http://qr.ae/onRcL" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Brett Williams</a>, you can judge someone by the way they speak with service employees like waiters and cashiers.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">6. They don't waste their free time.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">Great leaders deal with boredom by using it as an opportunity to create or learn something, says <a href="http://qr.ae/onpri" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Norsez Orankijanan</a>.</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">That doesn't mean, of course, that people who like to catch up on their Netflix queue after work are necessarily sabotaging their success, but those who rarely do something productive during their downtime are probably not committed to achieving something important.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">7. They surround themselves with peers who push them to be better.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://qr.ae/ovSmA" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">George Cotsikis</a> mentions the proverb: "When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends."</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">The most successful people surround themselves with a wide variety of people who aren't afraid to challenge their ideas, and who also provide them with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/habits-of-resilient-people-2014-6" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">a support system to help them through difficult times</a>.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">8. They don't pretend to know everything.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">You can judge people by the questions they ask, says <a href="http://qr.ae/ovJ0y" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Paul Denlinger</a>.</span></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">More specifically, the best leaders ask questions when they don't know something rather than to feed their egos.</span></span></div> <h3 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">9. They welcome valid criticism.</span></span></h3> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: large;">A person with integrity will not give into anger or fear when faced with valid criticism (as opposed to mean-spirited insults), but will rather consider it and learn from it, says <a href="http://qr.ae/ovl2P" sl-processed="1" style="text-decoration: none;">Abhilash Pattnaik</a>.</span></span></div> <div class="clearfix clear-both" id="see-also-links" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold;"> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> </div> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Read more:</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/subtle-things-leaders-with-integrity-do-2014-7#ixzz39XwY20F1" style="text-decoration: none;">http://www.businessinsider.com</a></span></div> </div>

9 Subtle Things Leaders Do That Show They Have Integrity

-Richard Feloni "Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers," Na...

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