Imagine that in a moment you are going to step in front of a group of people - a dozen or hundreds - and tell them about yourself, your work and hobbies. What is your reaction?

1.    "Great! I love it!"
2.    "Ok, I’ll do it."
3.    "Gee, do I have to? I really don’t like doing this. My stage fright is eating me away."  
4.    "Oh no, no, no! Never! I have to find an excuse. Maybe I’ll ask someone else to do this or take a sick leave."

If your sincere answer is 1 or 2 - congratulations! You are in minority. Do you like public speaking or at least treat it as a part of your everyday life and work? Such attitude is still unattainable or unbelievable to many people. A felling of ease, comfort, calmness and professionalism (even the stage fright but as a motivating factor) is not frequent for people who have to speak publically. Many people think that public speaking skills are a matter of talent reserved only to a few destined to become brilliant actors or charismatic leaders.

If your answer is 3 or 4 - I do not know whether it will comfort you but these reactions are typical for most people. According to some research public speaking is so stressful that more people are afraid of public speaking than death! When they hear "step up and start your presentation" their usual reaction, is a paralyzing stage fright, trembling hands and a lump in the throat.

It’s a bit like the fear of highs. Many people are afraid of walking a tightrope (I would!) but this is not something that limits their lives - not everyone has to be an acrobat. But for some the fear of highs is so strong that they are not able to go to a balcony or use a glass lift. You would surely agree that in this case the fear really restrains their abilities, limits them greatly and collides with normal life.

The fear of public speaking is similar. You do not have to speak to thousands (in fact not many people do). But if you are afraid when you are to give a speech to a few people, for example in your company, the situation is different. This fear really limits your abilities and chances on the job market, not to mention diminishing your self-esteem.

Public speaking or presentation skills are not a matter of talent. It is a commonplace skill exactly like driving a car or using a computer. Once you could not do that but now you can - you needed those skills and you learned them. They are difficult but you have managed! Congratulations! You do not have to be a racecar driver or hack Pentagon servers - but you can use them in your everyday life.

It will be the same with public speaking if you treat it like another skill to acquire.

Do you want to speak in such a manner that your audience will listen and you will feel comfortable?

Michael Corleone, the character of bestselling "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo, once said that the most important thing is to make the decision because making things happen is much easier. Decide whether you want to be a good speaker and me and my team in VIA AGENDI will help you to achieve this goal.

Interested?