From Nervousness to Charisma

If you were to meet someone at a party who couldn't hold a drink without sloshing it all over his suit, what would you think if he mentioned that he was a brain surgeon or a bomb disposal expert?

You'd probably say to yourself, "Yikes!"

When it comes to speaking in public, many of us would recognize a similar level of nervousness in ourselves. Yet we need those nerves to be a good speaker. If we're not sufficiently activated, we won't come across as the personable, charismatic person who is passionate about reaching out to listeners.

Those well-known butterflies, in other words, are there to help "psyche us up" for a presentation. Without them, we'd feel mellow and completely in control--and we'd almost certainly come across as full of ourselves and boring.

Our nervousness is a symptom of our desire not only to be good--but to do good for our listeners. While we're certainly concerned about ourselves, we're also thinking of our audience, wanting to be sure people think their time and attendance was worthwhile.

It's this desire in every presentation to have a meaningful conversation with our listeners--about something that we think matters to them--that makes us personable and focused as speakers. Embrace that need closely enough, and you'll soon forget about your own jitters. Keep your eye on the prize of your critical message--and use all of your awareness and speaking tools to make it clear to your audience. If you follow that dictate, you will not only succeed, but you'll certainly appear more confident. And that adds up to charisma in the eys of your audience.

So don't fear your nervousness. Remind yourself that it's an essential part of preparing to do a good job. Turn your attention instead to what you need to say and do to convince this audience, in this speech or presentation.

Your listeners will not only see you as more personable. You'll also be far more persuasive.

[This article is adapted from Dr. Gary Genard's book How to Give a Speech, published in 2007 by Cedar & Maitland Press.]