GLENCOE SPEECHChapter 2

Ms. Huckabee

CHS

Confidence• The feeling you have when you believe that you are

capable of handling a situation successfully.

Fear• The biological process by which animals, including

humans, secure the necessary energy to do a job that really matters – one that might potentially result in physical and/or psychological injury.

• Normal energy system• Emergency energy system – adenaline

• When fear becomes persistent and irrational, it’s known as a phobia.

Many adults fear public speaking more than death…• Symptoms of this fear:

• Upset stomach• Flushed face• Dizziness• Fast heartbeat• Shortness of breath• Excessive perspiration• Wobbly legs• Forgetting words

How do you overcome it?• It’s all about perception – how we see things.• Many times audiences don’t even know we’re nervous.

• “Studies on how well an audience perceives anxiety should comfort nervous speakers. Researchers have found that most report noticing little or no anxiety in a speaker. Even when individuals are trained to detect anxiety curs and are instructed to look for them, there is little correlation, between their evaluations and how anxious speakers actually felt.”

• Michael T. Motley, Psychology Today

Your perception• A speech does NOT = performance• A speech does NOT = putting on a show

• A speech is a tremendous opportunity to share, an opportunity to enjoy a meaningful moment, and an opportunity to communicate verbally with people you care about (your audience).

Planks of Confidence• Content – Say something worthwhile.• Organization – Have a plan for you and your audience.• Notes – jot down ideas in a brief, directed form.• Friendliness – Be congenial.• Impression – Get off to a good start from the beginning.• Dedication – Practice, practice, practice. And practice again.• Empathy – Understand your audience.• Newness – Attempt originality.• Conviction – Believe in what you say.• Enthusiasm – Get fired up!