Archive for June, 2011

by Terence Legaleto
Most of us recognize the importance of public speaking but are afflicted with this anxiety at the thought of speaking to a large group of people. But like most problems in life this anxiety can be overcome by acquiring the right skills and following the two tips that I set out below.

1. Breathing
One of the first signs of public speaking anxiety symptoms is a shortness of breath brought about by very shallow breathing which is one of the first physical reactions to fear or panic. So the first thing you need to think about and work on when faced with an anxiety attack at the thought of addressing your bosses, work colleagues or potential customers or employees is your breathing.

Shallow and short breathing will lead to you speaking in short, sharp bursts with indistinct diction. To fix this you need to breathe deeply and listen to your breath as you take in and expel air from your lungs. Relax your breathing by imagining the oxygen going a little further down into your lungs and speak on the out breath. When you then feel your breath getting a little weaker, stop speaking, pause, breathe in again and continue.

2. Read Out Loud
Preparation is key to effective public speaking and one great way to prepare is to practice speaking out loud at home or in work. And imagine yourself speaking to 500 people. Take up a good solid, tall stance, pause for breath and go for it using pauses and gestures to break up your speech. And do not forget to work on your breathing speaking on the out breath, pausing and breathing deeply in preparation to continue smoothly.

3. Rehearse at home
Another great way to improve your public speaking skills is to practice assidiously at home with either a microphone or video recorder. Spending a lot of time listening and watching yourself in action, taking notes and honing your skills will reap huge rewards. Just as in practicing for any hobby or sport like golf practice does indeed make perfect and with the advances in technology allowing most people to record themselves on their cell phone, there really is no excuse for not recording yourself and playing it back on your desktop pc or laptop.

There are many other factors which will determine how successful you are as a public speaker and which will add to your skills and consequently your proficiency and ease when next faced with a public speaking engagement or occasion.

Get your FREE presentation skills course and learn how to overcome public speaking anxiety at http://PresentationSkillsCourse.net

Article Source: Article Wagon

by Sarah Rhodenderon
The increasing use of social media on the internet and free availability of video footage on sites like YouTube create the impression that you can have anything you want..immediately.

But some old fundamentals still stand to bolster the human spirit and ensure that you can succeed in any area of activity you choose.

Many youth today value the ability to do whatever they want, whenever they want to, as their moods demand it. But as they grow into adults, they learn that having discipline actually gives them more freedom to do what it is that they really want to do.

People who oppose discipline can be considered slaves to their flesh and their feelings at the moment. Here, the flesh dictates what the mind will do. However, those with discipline have control over their bodies. Their minds do what is right and logical, so that the body actually can do enjoyable things more.

Self-discipline is doing what your mind tells you to do, what is right and logical, instead of what your body feels like doing. Your taste buds might be raving for more chocolate cake, plates and plates full, but your mind knows that you should eat sweets in moderation. This is discipline.

In all cases, self-discipline requires that you forgo the momentary happiness you may get from an action in order to preserve your happiness in the future. People with self-discipline will work out even though they do not feel like it because they can see the happiness down the road.

In order to develop self-discipline, you must know yourself. You must know what your goals and are and what you need to do to achieve them. In addition to knowing yourself, you must be always conscious of what you are doing. Some people snack religiously or bite their nails unconsciously. Others may do more serious things that could hinder them from their goals. Either way, a disciplined person is one who is always aware of their actions, and who controls them.

Being aware of your actions allows you to be aware of whether or not they are carrying you towards your goals or away from them.

Becoming disciplined is not a quick task. You must commit to it. Whenever you notice yourself backtracking, snap back into your disciplined mode. One day of slacking is two of trying to get back on track. The longer you commit to self-discipline, the easier it gets.

You must commit to doing what is necessary even when you do not feel like it. You will experience frustration, sweat, tears, and the longing to give up, but if you are committed, these deterrents will not prevent you from reaching your goals.

Becoming self-disciplined is not an easy task, nor it is a fast one. But in order to achieve success in any area of life, one must make the decision to take control of their body. They must resolve to have their logical mind control the bodys actions, even against its feelings, instead of the bodys feelings controlling the minds decisions.

Sarah is a legal professional who writes about careers in law and law enforcement careers at http://CareersInLaw.org and who is successfully reaping the benefits of self discipline in her life and career.

Article Source: Article Wagon