Excerpts from www.presentations.com)
Scared speechless...Understanding and conquering stage fright
by Tad Simons
You've heard the statistic. According to the Book of Lists, public speaking is most people's No. 1 fear, beating out heights, insects, financial problems, deep water, illness and -- the kicker -- death.
Does this mean that most people would rather die than give a presentation? Not really. By its very nature, death is a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal, which makes it easy to push down the list. But public speaking -- and the nervousness that comes with it -- is something virtually every professional must grapple with.
Those who do find ways to conquer their fear of speaking tend to see their career options broaden, their financial pockets deepen and their job satisfaction soar. After all, Tony Robbins doesn't make a fortune by being shy.
Can fear of public speaking really ruin your professional life? Yes -- but only if you let it. The good news for presenters is that stage fright can be controlled. All it takes to thwart this most persistent of professional demons is a sincere willingness to work on the problem and a solid understanding of what, exactly, you are trying to overcome.
What is stage fright? The first thing to understand about the anxiety associated with public speaking is that it is a perfectly natural reaction to a perfectly unnatural situation. It is simply your body revving up its innate "fight or flight" response -- a survival mechanism left over from the days when there were only two ways to deal with a hungry predator: Wrestle it or run like hell.
As the fear intensifies and the impending threat gets closer, thinking becomes a hindrance, because hesitation at this point could mean death. So, in self-defense, the rational functions of the brain shut down, allowing the body to react instinctively in whichever way it deems most appropriate -- fight or flight.
"With the fear of public speaking, it's the perception of the situation that does us in, not the situation itself," says Scott Sindelar, president of the Arizona Speakers Association and a licensed psychologist who counsels professionals with public-speaking anxiety problems.
Fear of public speaking is also manageable because the causes of the anxiety and panic and stress are specific and easily identifiable: They happen whenever people get up to say something in front of a crowd.
With or without the guidance of a coach or counselor, most people can learn to cope with the pressures of public speaking by practicing a variety of stress-management techniques -- such as breathing and relaxation exercises, visualization, biofeedback, "cognitive restructuring," even yoga -- and learning to apply these methods whenever the mental and physical manifestations of public-speaking anxiety arise.
The all-in-one fear Still, our minds have a very powerful way of convincing us that threats -- even imaginary ones -- are real. And the truth about fear of public speaking -- and the reason it is many people's No. 1 fear -- is that it embodies so many of our most formidable and pervasive fears. These include our fear of:
| Tip 1 - Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Want |
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With employers receiving hundreds of resumes you must make sure that your resume hooks an employer's attention within a 5-second glance. A great way to do this is to use job titles and skill headings that relate to and match the jobs you want. For example, compare the headings Roger used in his before resume to the headings used in his after resume. |
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Before Resume: Accounting / Recordkeeping Administrative Computer Skills |
After Resume: Management of A/R and A/P Accounts Computerized Accounting Applications Departmental Administration / Recordkeeping |
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Which set of headings are the strongest for an Accounts Payable / Receivable Manager position? Even though Roger's title was Accounting Assistant, he actually managed over 1,000 A/R and A/P accounts. Using skill headings that market the true nature of Roger's job duties will generate him more interviews and higher salary offers. For more examples, like this one and the ones discussed below, click on 60 Free Online Resume and Job Search Workshops at ProvenResumes.com. |
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Tip 2 - Use Design That Grabs Attention |
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Employers make snap judgments when glancing at your resume. If they see unrelated job titles or skills the likelihood is very high that they will make an immediate assumption that you are not qualified for the job you want. Adding to this problem is the fact that employers don't have the time to read through each of your job descriptions to determine if you have the skills they need. You Must Do That For Them! The design of your resume must highlight the most important information about your work experience, skills and education. At first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities. |
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Tip 3 - Create Content That Sells |
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Resume design should get attention but it's really the content of your resume, the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate--as well as the level of salary offers you receive. Compare the before and after statements from Roger's resume shown below: |
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Before Resume: Maintained records for accounts receivable and accounts payable accounts. |
After Resume: Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer. |
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Which of these examples presents Roger as being more qualified, having higher skills and worth a higher salary? As this example illustrates, our image of Roger is changed and elevated when we read the after example. For more examples of how to create powerful content click on 60 Free Online Resume and Job Search Workshops. |
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Tip 4 - Quantify and Use Power Words |
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As Roger's after statement demonstrates, using numbers to describe your achievements and responsibilities can greatly expand and elevate your image. Using numbers and quantifying creates vivid images in our mind when we read them, whereas general statements like the before examples are easy to skip over or forget. Typically the more specific you can be in describing your duties the better. Another strategy that is extremely important in controlling the image that employers develop about you--is to use Power Words or verbs that match the level of position you want. For example, Roger wants to use the experience he's gained to move into a management position. To strengthen his image he should use as many "management oriented" words as possible. Which example below do you think is the strongest? |
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Typical Verbs: Gave work assignments to staff of entry level accounting clerks. |
Power Words: Directed workflow, supervised and trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts receivable and payable accounts. |
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Tip 5 - Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words |
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Learning how to analyze the key words that employers provide in help wanted ads and job descriptions is a key element in creating powerful resumes. For example, read the ad Roger found for an Accounts Receivable Manager below and see how many key words, phrases, or skill descriptions that it includes. |
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Accounts Receivable Manager Seeking experienced A/R Manager to oversee accounts, manage billing and collections, train accounting and clerical staff, develop status reports for management and prepare monthly balance sheets. B.A. Degree or A.A. Degree with minimum of 2 years experience required. |
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Even though this ad is small it contains 12-13 key words or phrases that should be addressed in Roger's resume. Roger can also key words from an ad like this to create headings for his resume such as: |
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Key Word Skill Headings Management of A/R Accounts Billing and Collections Supervision of Accounting and Administrative Staff Balance Sheet and Management Status Reports |
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Tip 6 - Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs |
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In addition to the skills or needs listed in the ad shown above, the employer will have many more needs that Roger should identify and address in his resume and cover letter. For example, this employer will need someone who can deal effectively with other departments, research accounting issues and records to solve problems. To beat today's heavy competition for jobs, it's important that you identify and anticipate the full range of needs each employer faces and show how you can solve those needs. |
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Tip 7 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills |
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Most resumes provide a list of duties that each applicant has been responsible for--without explaining the benefit of those skills to employers. For example, a secretary's resume might state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely accurate. This statement lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit an employer's bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce more work and ultimately save the employer money. A better statement for this person's resume would be: |
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Selling The Benefits of Skills · Achieved top production volume by maintaining high degree of accuracy with typing speed at 80 wpm. · Cut labor expense over $6,000 annually by eliminating the need for part-time wordprocessing staff. |
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Tip 8 - Create An Image That Matches The Salary You Want |
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As you write your resume, keep in mind the level of job and salary you want. Be sure to create an image that presents you at the appropriate level. For example, language used in a resume for an $8 an hour position is much different than the language used for a $16 an hour position. I recently met Lynn, who had held a Health Insurance Claims Management position making $42,000 per year. She had retrained for the accounting field and hadn't yet gained any "direct accounting experience" although she had prepared monthly accounting reports as a Department Manager. I was appalled when she shared the resume she had been counseled to create. It began with this statement: |
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| Seeking an entry level position in the accounting field. | |||||||||
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Now what pay rate do you think this statement would motivate employers to offer Lynn? A much better statement would be: |
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Seek an Accounting position utilizing my experience:
· Managing a department and accounting for up to $250,000 in monthly claims. |
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My goal is to help people either stay at their current salary level or move up--not go backwards. As you can see, the last statement greatly elevates Lynn's image and will be much more likely to generate salary offers comparable to her last pay rate. |
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Tip 9 - Prioritize the Content of Your Resume |
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Another big mistake that job seekers make is to list very important data in the lower sections of their job descriptions. As you compile statements for your resume, prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and relevance to the job you want. Remember that a strong statement which uses power words and quantifies will affect every statement under it. Read the two examples below. Which one has the most impact? |
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Unprioritized Maintained records control, filing, office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance. Managed front office functions to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives. Prioritized Managed front office functions to support the President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales Representatives. Maintained records control, filing, office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance. |
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Tip 10 - Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters |
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You will generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter so that they address the specific skills each employer requests. For example, Sally originally wanted a customer service position, then found an ad for a Retail Management opening. How well qualified do the headings in the left hand column present her for the Retail Management position? Do you think the headings in the right hand column will generate more and better interviews for Retail Management positions? |
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Customer Service Cash Accountability Computer Skills |
Retail Management / Customer Service Cash Accountability / Supervision of Retail Stations Retail Accounting Applications |
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Sally's actual title had been Lead Cashier, even though she managed her own retail cashiering station in addition to 6 other cashiers and stations. Once Sally had created her original resume, it only took about 5 minutes to tweak and relabel her skill descriptions to fit Retail Management positions. This "relabeling" is entirely truthful and is extremely important in landing more interviews because it allows job seekers to apply for, and look qualified for, a wider range of jobs. |
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REMINDER: If you quote this page on YOUR website, be sure to include Yana Parker's name and a link to her website (http://www.damngood.com)
1. What IS a resume anyway?
4. What is the most common resume mistake made by job hunters
?9. What if you have several different job objectives you're working on at the same time? Or you haven't narrowed it down yet to just one job target?
Also you can just drop some of the less important, briefest jobs.
But don't drop a job, even when it lasted a short time, if that was where you acquired important skills or experience.
Be sure to add "Customer references available on request" and then be prepared to provide some very good references of people you worked for.
Simple means keeping a simple topic uncomplicated by adding only the data and examples necessary to make it understandable. It means breaking the complicated into manageable chunks. It means using simple, everyday words except when a specific term is needed. In that case, explain the term in a phrase right after the term. When the explanation does not draw your reader too far away from the topic, use commas around the explanation; when the reader is drawn far away, use parentheses.
Nowhere is this concern for simplicity clearer than in the movement toward Plain English. The Carter Administration’s impetus to translate complicated legal, utility and government documents into everyday English has resulted in Plain English laws in many states. In 1998, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a regulation that the mutual fund industry must write certain critical pages in its prospectuses in laymen’s terms.
Effective means writing that makes a "decided, decisive, desired" impact. Writing must make a point: that is its whole purpose. Your writing must include the one sentence that you would write if you could write only one sentence. This sentence should be short: "Good writing is good customer service."
Reader-friendly writing is relevant. It contains only that which is directly related to the point you are trying to communicate, and it is written so that your customers can easily find the main ideas and follow them through the document. Use specific titles, headings and paragraphs to divide information into logical units, and use punctuation to guide readers easily through a sentence. Write sentences in actor-action structure: first the subject then the verb.
Vigorous writing is created by using strong verbs. A strong verb is a specific verb. These are easily found in good sportswriting: "sneaked by, blitzed, rolled over, destroyed," rather than the general word "won." Vigorous writing also makes every word besides the verb count. When you are satisfied with your final draft, delete any unnecessary words. Generally, "that is" and "which is" are good candidates. Specifically, instead of writing "go back and delete any words that aren’t needed" write "delete any unnecessary words" as I did in the last sentence.
Probably what makes most business writing interesting is simply getting to the point, explaining what is necessary to make the point understandable and asking the reader to do what you want. Period. If you are writing any kind of sales document, such as a resume or a sales brochure, you must bring your product alive by specific words that describe the product and make it desirable.
Writers must always establish their credibility. Customers have to trust you, or they won’t accept your message. You establish credibility by your position, expertise (citing authorities is part of this), shared values, goodwill and by writing well.
Writing well means writing completely, yet concisely and clearly. It also means connecting with the reader. In his recent book, The Pursuit of WOW, Tom Peters says that 70 percent of customers who leave one provider for another leave because they did not like "the human side" of doing business with the original provider. To connect to your customers, talk to them, show empathy and be interested in them.
Most of all, writing that provides the SERVICE your customers need is easy on the reader. This happens when writers adopt the attitude that their main job is to make the message easy for the reader to understand. Good writing is created not just by the words you write; it is created equally by your attitude about your customer.
Dr. Janet A. Novotny is president of WordMasters Writing Consultants and a speaker, trainer, writer and coach on business writing. She can be reached at 202-244-2083 or "dr.write@word-masters.com."
How do you become a better writer?
Go out and live as full and as exciting life as you can, then never quit writing about it.
Where can you get ideas?
Three places!
1.) Remember your own experiences.
2.) Go ask questions, investigate, and research.
3.) This one is the most important....Use your imagination.
(Another reason I write is so I won't forget things. One night I thought of a way to earn $1,000,000 in one week. Good idea! The only problem is I went to sleep and forgot my idea. I never did remember it. Now I write everything down.)
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