Weddingbee PRO

I just received my flight confirmation and itinerary for Engage 09, a 3 day conference in the Cayman Islands I’ll be speaking at later this month!  That reminds me that I need to:

1) Purchase some summerwear.  I’m in love with this entire set from Orla Kiely!

and 2) Get some media training.

People in business often get media training so they can become better public speakers and better present themselves on camera.  I became fascinated with media training when I found out some of the most seemingly extroverted, charismatic speakers in the wedding industry were in fact introverts who had gone through extensive media training!

I’m not afraid of public speaking — mc’ing an event, for instance, would be no problem for me.  But when it comes to talking about me or my business, I become an anxious mess.  I forget everything I want to say and my thoughts don’t come out as eloquently as I can express them when I’m not in front of an audience.

I’ve known I wanted to get media training for years, but I think I’m finally going to bite the bullet because I have a neighbor that’s an acting teacher.  He does something interesting — he teaches a class on how to audition for reality tv shows.  I thought that was a really interesting angle on learning how to be compelling and natural on camera, because public speaking is like acting in many ways.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

In the meantime, if you’d like to practice public speaking, here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years:

1. Hold something heavy in your hand like a water bottle.  Focusing on that weight will help prevent you from feeling anxious.
2. Instead of trying to explain a concept, tell a personal story which is easier for you and easier for your audience to understand.
3. Videotape yourself speaking — you’ll be shocked at how many fillers like “um” you use — and practice, practice, practice!

Are you a good public speaker?  What are some of your best tips?