Dealing With the Stress of Speaking in Public

Instead of effectively dealing with the stress of speaking in public, many people avoid it like the plague. Others relegate it to the "necessary evil" category and do it reluctantly when they can't pawn it off on somebody else. And then there are those who look at public speaking as an opportunity to carry a career forward, to build networks, to establish a reputation, and to increase visibility within an organization. Last month, fifty people enrolled in Ty Boyd's Excellence in Speaking course because they recognized the importance of being an effective communicator. They graduated with more than they bargained for: they expected to become better speakers, but they never imagined the confidence they would gain by speaking in public.

When asked how the course would help further his career, one student explained it like this: "Before I took the course, I had the knowledge and the experience to excel in my career, the problem I had was conveying my message. I was never sure how to start or end a presentation. I didn't know how to make my presentations interesting and unique. And even though I knew my stuff, I had trouble thinking on my feet. Now I have the tools and I know how to use them. Now I have the confidence - and that's a good feeling. I have the confidence to demonstrate my expertise and showcase my insights and experience."

One of the graduates had initially planned on a few one-on-one coaching sessions with a Ty Boyd faculty member, but decided that taking Excellence in Speaking would give him practice in front of a group which he felt he desperately needed to get over his fear of speaking in public. What he didn't anticipate was how nurturing and supportive the group atmosphere would be for him. He expected a classroom of 20 or so students following a detailed, fixed agenda. What he was delighted to find was an intimate group of eight people with a high degree of interaction and conversation. Yet, the individual attention and coaching that he received pushed him beyond his limits. He explained it like this, "I was up on my feet speaking several times a day.There were so many opportunities to practice my communication tools and then receive feedback - not only from the coaches - but from the other students. Each time a new concept was introduced or put to me as a challenge, I had a chance to work on it over and over again until I felt like I had a handle on it."

A two and a half day course is a big time commitment for most people. Being away from your desk and coming back to voice mails, emails and playing catch up can be overwhelming. But not a single graduate said that they would change a thing about the course. "I wouldn't have shortened the course by even one hour, " said one student, "putting everything aside to concentrate on becoming a better communicator was an investment in myself and my career."

As is often the case, we received a lot of feedback on the coaches from the latest crop of graduates. Most had not expected the coaching to be so personal and insightful. Every student received individual feedback and guidance that addressed concerns that were unique to them. When asked if he would recommend the course, one graduate put it like this, "The interaction between the coaches kept the class entertaining as well as informative and educational. The mood was light, but professional and I never once looked at the clock. And that's saying a lot. Yes, I would absolutely recommend Excellence in Speaking."

Enrolling in the Excellence in Speaking course is not about learning practical skills, it's about learning to become a powerful communicator, it's about self-empowerment. We at Ty Boyd wish our latest graduates the greatest success and thank them for embarking on their communication journey.