Stage Fright

I recently came across an article written by the American Public Speaking guru Sandra Zimmer where she describes a technique to get rid of stage fright. “It's all in how you look at the audience -- literally how you look at them. If you tense up to protect yourself from attack, you unconsciously invite them to attack you. You are looking at them as dangerous, and they will sense that. But if you look at them through the eyes of love and acceptance, they will sense that and give supportive attention back to you. You literally create a supportive audience by being there to support them.”

She recommends the use of soft eyes. That is, look softly at your audience members. The similarity to the technique I teach of the use of the soft spoken voice is uncanny! The importance of your body language and voice tone to be in sync with each other is crucial for effective communication and it will help you achieve an all round winning advantage in your professional life.