Whats Scarier Than Halloween? Public Speaking.

Ghouls and goblins might fascinate us at Halloween time, but the scariest time for most of us is when we have to stand in front of a group of people and speak. Don E. Smith is The Speech Wiz, a communications and presentation coach, who knows a lot about this fear and gladly shares his insights on how to overcome it.

Oxford, CT, -- October 15, 2003 - Ghouls and goblins might fascinate us at Halloween time but the scariest time, for most of us, is when we must stand in front of a group of people and speak. Everybody knows the fear of public speaking exist, but not many know what to do about it. Don E. Smith is The Speech Wiz, a communications and presentation coach, who knows a lot about this fear and gladly shares his insights on how to overcome it.

The fear of public speaking has a lot to do with a speakers subject matter comfort level," According to Smith. Its not who is in your audience, but whats in your head. Many speakers actually have a greater fear of what they will say than of how the audience will receive it. My job is to help speakers discover how to create a 'Speakers Zone of comfort by selecting material that is right for them."

If you would like to overcome a fear of public speaking, here are three basic Speech Wiz rules that Smith coaches his clients to achieve.

Rule #1: SMILE -- The audience remembers the first thing it sees and the last thing it hears. The first thing it sees is you, so show them your SMILE! Its a powerful way to welcome the audience to your message and make them feel at ease."

Rule #2: KFE - Keep Feeling Enthusiastic -- The most important thing the audience has come to hear you speak about is... you. The best speakers talk to their audiences about the things they Know, Feel or have Experienced. Follow this rule and you will be an expert too... on you."

Rule #3: Dont Memorize, Familiarize -- So many people waste so much time memorizing what they are going to say. Beside making their presentations sound robotic, the fear you will forget something profound has a tendency to make you even more anxious. My advice is to know your material by becoming familiar with your main point, supporting points and the final words you want your audience to remember. (See Rule #1).

There is a lot more you can do to overcome your fear of public speaking," maintains The Speech Wiz. Speaking is a skill just like golf or woodworking. The more you do it, the better you become at doing it. And, while practice may not make you perfect, it will get you very, very close."

Don E. Smith works his magic for individual and corporate clients who want to improve their presentation and overall communication effectiveness. His approach to communication coaching is crafted from both classroom experiences, as an adjunct instructor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, and from his workplace experiences as a career communications professional.

In addition to his presentation and communication coaching and speaking activities, Mr. Smith also conducts regular public seminars of his Ready... Set... Speak! method at locations throughout the tri-state region. Interested parties can contact him at don@thespeechwiz.com or visiting his web site http://www.thespeechwiz.com/subscribe to sign up for his newsletter The Wiz Speaks!"

For Information Contact:
http://www.thespeechwiz.com or
don@thespeechwiz.com
Phone: (203)881-9136
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