5 Public Speaking Myths: Ignore these and become a better speaker!

  • 5 Public Speaking Myths: Ignore these and become a better speaker!

    5 Public Speaking Myths: Ignore these and become a better speaker!

    Are public speaking myths holding you back? Here are 5 myths that make people think they will never be good at public speaking:

    #1  Some people are born great speakers.

    Babies can’t speak, so this can’t be true! Great speakers are not born, they are made. In fact, we are not born great at anything. It is true that our genes, the way we were raised, and our experiences affect our strength and weaknesses. But everyone can improve public speaking with training, tools, and support. Great speakers tend to work hard on their communication strategy and content, as well as their skills. While some degrees include public speaking courses, many do not. So, when you see someone that looks like a natural, they have probably trained hard to look that way.

    Do not worry, it is never too late. And the sooner you start learning; the sooner you will progress. Who knows – You may even be called a natural born speaker!

    #2  Public speaking requires acting skills.

    Have you ever seen a leader speak, who looks like they are acting? It’s awful. Public speakers who look like they are reading a script or using unnatural arm movements, have no credibility.

    Acting and business public speaking are two different things:

    • Actors pretend to be someone else and repeat from memory a script. It takes years to learn to act in a way that replicate an authentic emotion.
    • Business public speaker must convey clear and credible messages in an authentic and confident way. And it is critical that they do not look like they are acting.

    With that said, both need to clearly pronounce words and both battle stage fright.

    #3  You can learn to be a great presenter online.

    Just like learning to swim, we can hear lectures and watch videos for some tips, but one must eventually jump in the water. Public speaking is the same. It requires strategy, confidence, and physical practice. But do not worry, just like swimming, we do not start at the deep end of the pool. Training courses are available in small comfortable groups. Then, you can build-up to larger audiences and big stages.

    #4  Great speakers do not get nervous.

    Most people get nervous when they give an important presentation or speak to a large audience. Only those that do not care, do not get nervous. The rest are simply good at hiding it and using tools to reduce their stage fright.

    Confidence is the opposite of fear. And fear is created by uncertainty. There are three things that you can do to reduce your fear and increase your confidence:

    • Prep and build your skills – When you learn to create and deliver a great presentation, you feel more certainty that you have a good presentation to present.
    • Practice – With practice, your certainty increases. You can start with small groups and move gradually to larger ones.
    • Use cognitive modification – These are tools to use your mind and body to reduce the physical stress reactions. (These are covered in all our courses.)

    #5  A great presentation must be perfect.

    Humans deliver great presentations and humans are not perfect. Even news and radio personalities fumble their words from time to time, so a few errors are not a problem. Simply, correct it and continue. Stay focused on helping your audience receive your message and small mistakes will soon be forgotten.

    In summary, do not let these public speaking myths keep you from doing business presentations. Everyone should be seen and hear. Public speaking is a learned skill. Acting lessons are not required, but you do have to get out from behind the screen. Most people get nervous, but there are techniques to help with this. If you would like to learn, find a course near you. Or, join one of our small group courses in Switzerland. 😊

    Media, presentation and public speaking trainerKimberly VanLandingham is a presentation trainer and the owner of European Market Link Sarl, including Presentation Training Switzerland. Specialising in international and technical leaders and professionals, she helps leaders and teams to control their nerves and speak with confidence, clarity and charisma. Kimberly has 20 years experience at the DuPont company, degrees in engineering and communications, and almost 15 years of public speaking training experience.

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