Tag: confidence

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7 Public Speaking Survival Tips

Public Speaking – You Can Do It!

I used to be terrified of public speaking – now it’s natural and fun.

Dry mouth, fast heart, sweaty palms, blank mind – yeah I’ve been there! It’s easy to fear public speaking. But I was never just content with overcoming fear. I wanted to be a great speaker. What I needed was a way of calming down and applying simple techniques and strategies to talk like a pro.

When I’d learned to relax (more of that later) I learned and applied the following four steps.

  1. Reassure your audience – they need to know you know your stuff and you are human!
  2. Hook them by being interesting and relevant. Tell them why what you are saying is relevant to them.
  3. Inspire them by giving them information and ways of seeing that are new and applicable.
  4. Leave them on a high by telling a story them encapsulates your central message.

How do you become confident enough to apply the four steps?

Here’s some tips some of which are practical some of which are to do with the way you think about your public presentations and also how you can start to change the way you feel about them.

Tip One

Breath your way to calm. When you breath out you relax that’s why people sigh when they’re stressed.

Breathing in without breathing out causes hyperventilation and worsens anxiety. Just before your speech take five minutes breathing in to the count of seven and out to the count of eleven (quick count-not seconds!). On the out breath hold it a second before breathing in again. This will produce quick and lasting calm. Remember extending the out breath calms you down.

Tip Two

You have a responsibility as the presenter but relax you don’t carry all the responsibility. Presenting is a team effort. Audiences are responsible for politeness, extending their attention and attempting to learn. It’s not all you-it’s a meeting of two halves. Never mind how they judge you. How do you judge them?

Tip Three

Use metaphor and stories. We all experience life metaphorically. The most technical logical person spends at least two hours a night dreaming! Talk detail if necessary but present patterns with metaphors. Folk from 4 to 104 love stories. Use em.

Tip four

Captivate attention by using words that evoke all the senses. Describe how things look, sound, feel, smell and taste. Paint pictures and sensations in their minds with your words.

Tip Five

Vary your voice tonality and speed of delivery. Keep them alert and engaged. Convey energy when need be and slow down when you need to ‘draw them in close.’ You are the conductor to their orchestra. And pepper your talk with humour. Your willingness to be funny shows personal confidence and confidence is contagious.

Tip Six

Tell them what they are going to get. What they are currently getting and then what they have got from you. Sell your sizzle!

Tip Seven

Watch and learn from other great speakers until compelling, relaxed speaking is a part of you.

Rehearse positively. You need to rehearse how your going to feel as well as what you are going to present. Don’t think about your forthcoming presentation whilst feeling nervous as this creates an instinctive association between fear and presenting. This natural negative self-hypnosis is very common with nervous speakers.

Hypnotically rehearse your speech whilst feeling relaxed. This produces the right ‘blueprint’ in your mind. In fact when you do this enough times it actually becomes hard to be nervous!

All great speakers know how to use great self-hypnotic rehearsal. Hypnosis changes attitudes and can bring emotion under control. I used hypnosis, to change my instincts around public speaking. Now I just can’t get nervous whether it’s 50 or 500 people. The world needs great communicators. Go for it!

Cure your fear of public speaking at HypnosisDownloads.com

Article by Mark Tyrrell of Hypnosis Downloads.com.

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Cultivating Inner Strength: Building Self-Confidence With Mindfulness

Introduction:

In a fast-paced world filled with distractions and self-doubt, finding inner confidence can be challenging. However, by incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives, we can develop a strong sense of self-assurance and navigate life’s ups and downs with grace and resilience. In this blog post, we will explore the powerful connection between mindfulness and self-confidence, and how the practice of mindfulness can help us cultivate a deep sense of inner strength. For instance, by taking the time to practice mindfulness meditation, we can become more aware of our thoughts and feelings and develop the ability to let go of negative self-talk and recognize our true potential.

Section 1: Understanding Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the art of being fully present in the moment, paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. By observing our experiences with curiosity and kindness, we can cultivate a heightened state of awareness and develop a stronger connection with our inner selves. For instance, by practicing mindful breathing, we can become aware of our physical sensations, such as our heartbeat and breathing, and focus on the present moment without letting our mind wander.

Section 2: Learning to Love Yourself and Your Inner Dialogue!

One of the main obstacles to self-confidence is the constant chatter of our inner dialogue, filled with self-criticism and doubt. Through mindfulness, we can learn to observe these thoughts without getting caught up in them. By creating space and distance from our negative self-talk, we can begin to challenge and reframe our beliefs, nurturing a more positive and empowering inner dialogue.

Section 3: Noticing the Present Moment

Often, our lack of self-confidence arises from dwelling on past failures or worrying about future uncertainties. Mindfulness brings us back to the present moment, anchoring our attention to what is happening right now. By noticing the sensations in our body, the sounds around us, and the beauty of our surroundings, we shift our focus away from self-doubt and embrace the richness of the present moment.

As Roy T. Bennett once wrote:

“The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.”

Section 4: Cultivating Awareness Through Meditation

Meditation is a powerful tool for enhancing mindfulness and building self-confidence. By dedicating a few minutes each day to meditation practice, we learn to observe our thoughts and emotions with detachment. This practice helps us develop a deep sense of self-awareness and acceptance, allowing us to let go of self-limiting beliefs and embrace our true potential. Meditation is like taking a journey within ourselves, unlocking the doors of our inner wisdom and allowing us to uncover our true identity.

Section 5: The Flow State and Self-Confidence

When we are fully present and engaged in an activity, we enter a state of flow. Flow is characterized by a complete immersion in the task at hand, where time seems to stand still, and our actions feel effortless. By practicing mindfulness, we can access the flow state more frequently, boosting our confidence as we experience moments of mastery and accomplishment. This can also lead to a sense of clarity, focus, and purpose, as we find ourselves more connected to the present moment and our true potential. It can also help us to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as we feel calmer and more resilient.

Conclusion:

Incorporating mindfulness into our lives is a transformative journey towards building self-confidence. By quieting our inner dialogue, noticing the present moment, and cultivating awareness through meditation, we open ourselves up to a world of inner strength and resilience.

According to Sharon Salzberg, a meditation teacher,

“Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.”

With consistent practice and patience, we can tap into our true potential, embracing life with confidence and grace.

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5 Hypnosis Myths Exploded!

OVER the years, hypnosis has picked up all sorts of weird associations from stage hypnotists, the media and superstition. This is a great shame, because in reality, hypnosis is your single most effective tool for change. Hypnosis is your birthright, and you should know how to use it so it doesn’t use you. Here we dispel the biggest hypnosis myths.


Watch ‘What is hypnosis?’ video

Hypnosis Myth 1: All hypnosis is the same

As with anything, hypnosis can be good, bad or indifferent. The most common is old-style authoritarian hypnosis of the type “You are getting sleepy, you are feeling confident”. Unsurprisingly, this sort of hypnosis doesn’t work well with many people. Good hypnosis uses subtle psychological principles and advanced communication patterns.

It’s like the difference between a football coach who thinks you’ll perform best if he yells at you, compared with the more elegant style of a great leader who knows that to get the best from his people, he needs to understand motivation, to cajole, encourage and reward.

Hypnosis Downloads.com offers hundreds of sessions using the best type of hypnosis.

Hypnosis Myth 2: Subliminal messages work

Subliminal messages are words that you can’t hear. Common sense says they shouldn’t work, and there’s no research proving that they do.

Hypnosis Myth 3: Some people can’t be hypnotized

The only reason you can’t be hypnotized is if you are incapable of paying attention due to extremely low IQ or brain damage. That’s not to say that every hypnotist can hypnotize you however. The more flexible the hypnotist, the more effective she will be with the largest number of people.

Hypnosis Myth 4: Hypnosis is something weird that other people do to you

If you couldn’t go into hypnosis, you wouldn’t be able to sleep, to learn, or get nervous through ‘negative self hypnosis’. (You know when you imagine things going wrong and it makes you feel anxious? Well that’s self hypnosis!)

Hypnosis is simply a deliberate utilization of the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or dream state. We’re not giving people medication here – if it wasn’t a natural ability, hypnosis wouldn’t work!

Hypnosis Myth 5: You lose control in hypnosis

Crazy news stories, stage hypnotists and gossip have created the illusion that you lose control in hypnosis. In fact, when hypnotized, you are relaxed and focused – and able to choose to get up and walk away at any time. You choose to give your attention to the hypnotist, and you can withdraw it at any time.

If you have been scared of hypnosis in the past, this article has hopefully convinced you to at least give it a try. But remember, ensure what you’re getting is the real thing. Visit www.hypnosisdownloads.com

Article by Mark Tyrrell of Hypnosis Downloads.com.