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White Papers from the Gold Coast Institute Fellows |
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How
to Avoid
“Freezing”
in Front
of Your
Audience Jim
Zinger, CSP, Burbank, California You’re on the
platform. All eyes are pinned on you. You can even hear the proverbial
pin drop, as they hang on your every word. Then, suddenly, you forget
what you were saying. It’s happened to
all of us. But it doesn’t have to. With the help of some basic
centering techniques, you can remain focused through your entire
presentation. A
learned reaction Let’ examine why
we freeze in the first place. It’s a reaction we’ve learned. We might get
derailed from our presentation when we see all those eyes on us. We
wonder what they think of us instead of keeping our focus on our
presentation. Or, our reaction
might stem from words we heard long ago- “children are to be seen and
not heard,” speak when you’re spoken to, or “don’t stay where
you’re not wanted.” We’re all
products of our environment, and we’re all creatures of habit. The
person who is shy, for instance, has probably been told he’s shy since
he was two years old. Or, think about
putting your jacket on, for example. You might put your left arm into
the jacket first. But, whichever order, you do it the same every time.
(Switch, and you’ll see how much trouble you have getting dressed!) We acquire
information from our five senses every moment of our lives. And we react
to this information. The information and the reaction appropriate or
not, goes into our subconscious. It’s like programming our own
computer. Relearning
a more positive reaction If we went back to
our childhood, we could probably discover how our bad habits developed.
But this is not necessary in order to change a habit. Whatever the
reaction – whatever the habit – we can change, alter or re-educate
it in six weeks. We can affect our mind directly at the subconscious
level with centering, or self-hypnosis techniques. Basic
centering techniques To succeed in
self-hypnosis requires relaxation, concentration, imagination and
repetition. Techniques include
visualizing, emotionalizing, picturing, sensing, feeling and modeling. To insure a more
successful presentation use these steps: 1)
Know your material, and know your audience. And take appropriate
time to grasp this knowledge (no cramming). 2)
Take time to relax before your presentation – mentally,
physically and emotionally. This might be the week before, the day
before, or the hour before. Get rid of as many distractions as you can,
and get yourself in a comfortable position. First,
picture yourself in a passive scene, a private paradise. This could be
the beach, the mountains or a field of flowers. Then consciously relax
each part of your body from the bottom of your feet to the top of your
head. This may take three to four minutes. 3)
Visualize and emotionalize your success. Take yourself out of
your passive scene and onto the platform. See and feel yourself in front
of the audience. Choose the upcoming speaking engagement, or choose a
successful presentation you made in the past. You have a mindlock with
your audience – you’re totally with them, and they’re totally with
you. See yourself as a total communicator having a good time in the
process. 4)
Use modeling. Think about another speaker, actor or newscaster
you admire. See yourself with the same traits you admire in him or her,
adapted to your personality. It might be self-esteem, delivery or
confidence. 5)
Use only positive language as you make suggestions to yourself.
Use the first Person (“I”). And phrase all your suggestions in the
now (“I am”). You might make suggestions “I am performing at my
best,” “I am confident,” “I am having fun,” or “I connect
with my audience.” And ignore the negative chatter you may hear that
might be saying “it isn’t true,” “you aren’t really good,”
and so forth. Succeed
with improvement Really picture
yourself in your passive scene; then picture yourself performing at top
levels on the platform. The better the emotional picture, the better the mind will respond. And repeat these
steps often. The more repetition, the faster
the mind will respond. These techniques
work in other areas of our life too. You’ve heard of people using
self-hypnosis techniques to eliminate weight, quit smoking and improve
their memories. They’ve also used it in business to increase their
productivity, overcome procrastination and sell more effectively. Centering, or
self-hypnosis, will improve the areas you choose. It’s a powerful tool
that gets results and helps you succeed. If you have question, feel free
to give me a call at 1-800-SUCCEED, or you can email me at jim@1800succeed.com. Jim Zinger, CSP, president and founder of Hypmovation, Incorporated, is a recognized authority on hypnosis, and since 1968 has pioneered the use of hypnosis in business and industry. |