Upgrade Your Presentation Skills Like A New York And Hollywood Actor Would

“The first step in overcoming fear of public speaking is to face your fear head-on,” advises presentation expert Eleni Kelakos. 

“Make a list of The Lies That Bind you—the limiting beliefs that kick you into anxiety, such as ‘You’re a lousy public speaker!’ or ‘Everyone can tell you’re nervous!’" says this Hollywood and New York actor.

She says that since beliefs cause behaviors, limiting beliefs must be changed to create new behaviors.

Forgive me for repeating an old Jerry Seinfeld joke about limiting beliefs. I tell it to make a point.

“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking,” said Seinfeld. “Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

While I understand the fear, public speaking is my number one strategy for attracting rit-fit clients. Therefore, it pays to find ways to overcome one's natural fear of public speaking.

Public speaking triggers the amygdala in your brain. This almond-shaped fear switch triggers our fight, flight or freeze response.

Not everyone fights through the fear of public speaking, but you need to if you want to attract clients by sharing your ideas. Fleeing from speaking opportunities or freezing before an audience are not good strategies.

Soon, I will publish the latest book by Kelakos, Charismatic Presence: 5 Principles For Magnetic Presentations.

Kelakos will be a featured keynote speaker at my 2024 Agency Rainmaker Forum to be held September 27-28 at the San Diego Marriott in La Jolla, California ($200 discount if you register before July 31).

She uses performance techniques learned over 20 years as a professional actor to help agency owners and executives be relaxed, real, and relatable when giving presentations.

I asked Kelakos to share some of her best presentation tips to overcome the public speaking jitters.

Here is how she advises speakers to get prepared:

Commit To The Process: “People want an immediate solution to manage their public speaking anxiety,” says Kelakos. “The fact is, there isn’t one. Managing fear of public speaking is a process that takes time and work.   To overcome your fear of public speaking, you must be willing to commit to the process.”

 Convince Yourself Of The Power Phrases By Supporting Them With Evidence.  “Once you’ve created a list of lies that bind, convince yourself of their truth by jotting down three pieces of evidence,” says Kelakos. “For example, ‘I have over 15 years of expertise.  Yesterday, my boss asked me to weigh in on an important issue. My team members tend to respond favorably to my ideas.’”

Use The Power Phrases To Shift Your Mindset. “To help grow weeds on the Lies That Bind and allow the new power phrases to embed themselves into your subconscious mind, repeat them,” says Kelakos. “Repetition makes habit.  Speak them out loud, print them out and read them daily, or record and listen to them before you fall asleep and upon awakening.”

Of course, there are many other ways to improve.  My advice is to find a good presentation coach and work to improve your speaking expertise.

The more you prepare the more relaxed you appear.

According to Kelakos, “Power phrases are only part of the overall preparation toolkit you need to build to help you manage the fight of flight that can broadside your public speaking performance.”

What is the biggest speaking fear you need to overcome?