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[–]Psychocist 1 point2 points3 points 10 years ago (1 child) | Copy Link
Get your backside down to every toastmasters event you can.
[–]vipernova 1 point2 points3 points 10 years ago (0 children) | Copy Link
This. Run to the next toastmasters meeting and explain your situation; they will be happy to help by letting you practice on them and giving you feedback. I would even recommend joining for real once your speech is over. In the mean time, there are other things you can do. 1) Improve your mental state. All external improvement first comes from correcting or improving your internal "map" of the world and the way things are. Since you're in a hurry, here are two things to start internalizing every day before the speech: get in the moment and get excited. "If you are depressed, you live in the past.. If you are anxious, you live in the future.. But, if you are at peace... You live in the present." -Lao Tzu Marcus Aurelius also has some badass shit on the subject as do a lot of other smart motherfuckers. How do you practice this? Meditate. Start today, 5-10 minutes every morning or night. Don't know how? Youtube it. Not the spiritual stuff... this is how you gain mastery of your mind. The other one was to get excited. This is a quick little life hack I discovered when I was in the same situation as you. I used to run track. I used to be so freaking nervous and scared before each race that I would literally throw up. I did it for a while and became good at track but I still had the same feeling and would still throw up after each race. The only difference was I felt excited rather than afraid. I failed speech class in college. I literally froze up during every speech and stood there in front of all of my peers until the professor suggested that I take my seat. For my first speech after college I decided to simply try to flip a mental switch in my mind from fear to excitement. My experience was the same as in track; I felt the same physically, but I nailed the speech. I use the same mentality on approach anxiety, btw. So there's some shit you can do but no mental hocus pocus is going to work unless it's consistent with your self concept. So run to toastmasters, right now! Give yourself the reason why you should succeed. I'll try to make the next ones short because they're not as important as your "inner game." 2) Improve your body language. Stand up strait. Keep your shoulders back and chest out and make EYE CONTACT and smile...no SMIRK. Don't know how to smirk? Check out TofuTofu's Beyond the Game. He's a moderator on this sub and his post should be archived, if not, send him a message. Want more information on great body language? Read Models by Mark Manson. Actually, read him anyway, and welcome to Seddit. As you're practicing and giving your speech, expose yourself. Make wide gestures, expose your chest and torso, expose your neck, expose your junk...feel the power. I'm considering tonality body language; deal with it, practice it, read Models (or at least the chapter on body language, then read it after your speech). 3) Talk to people. Start today. Practice for your speech every chance you get. Approach anxiety? Great! You're getting in the moment. You're replacing anxiety with excitement. You're standing tall, taking up space, making direct, strong, sexy eye contact with a killer smile. You're speaking slow and from your chest, with confidence and authority. Fuck... you're good. Don't slip in the love juices dripping from every woman in your proximity.
One more thing... here's a more specific suggestion for practicing your speech. Don't memorize it word for word. As you practice it allow yourself to use different words so long as you follow the basic outline. If you do this then you are less likely to think that you have "messed up" which may induce a state of panic. Ain't nobody got time for that shit. Allow yourself some creative freedom in your practice and remember, people will forget what you said or did but they will never forget the way you made them feel. Go put some feels in them, buddy. Share some of your passion with them and they will love you.
[–]opelmanz 0 points1 point2 points 10 years ago (0 children) | Copy Link
practice speaking in front of small groups. you can't find 10K people to practice in front of, so just do what you can in what time you have. Good luck!
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[–]Psychocist 1 point2 points3 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]vipernova 1 point2 points3 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]opelmanz 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link