Hypnosis for Public Speaking

Hello, I’m Jonathan Garside from The Hypnosis Clinic. You know, one of the areas I help a lot of people with is public speaking. Whether it’s a presentation for work, a training session for colleagues, or the dreaded best man’s speech, there seems to be something about speaking in public that terrifies some people. And yet, the actual task of speaking to another person is simplicity itself! Telling a story to your friends in the pub, having a lively debate with the family over dinner, all so easy and so much a part of our lives that we don't give it a second thought, so why is it all of a sudden so much harder to do the same thing in front of a group of people. The answer is - perception. Let me give you an example; I place a large scaffolding plank on the floor of your living room, paint it bright red and ask you to walk along it from one end to the other. Think you can do that without falling off? Of course you can, it’s a doddle. Now let’s take that very same plank, stick it out of the top of a skyscraper and take a walk along it. What? do you mean ‘No’? It’s easy! Its exactly the same task as it was in your living room, so why are you nervous about it being a little higher? The truth is you are right to be nervous! The perceived threat is very real. If you fall off the plank in your living room, you end up on a nice fluffy carpet, if you do the same from the top of a skyscraper? Well, best we don't go there. It’s this same ‘perceived threat’ that can make public speaking appear so scary; if you get lost in the middle of a conversation with your mum in the living room, it doesn’t matter, if you do the same in front of your boss and 3,000 people on Zoom, well, it does! Yet, the skill set is exactly the same, it’s just the venue that alters. So how can you get your head around seeing a presentation at work in the same was as a chat with your mates in the pub? Well, have a look through some of my tips in the blog - they really will help you to be prepared, in control and to actually enjoy speaking in public. One of the areas I talk about is communication - did you know that only 22% of the communication between you and your audience is verbal, the words you are saying, the rest, 78% is physical - body language. That’s why I teach how important body language is in presentations. There are so many little tricks you can use to engage your audience from the outset like this one! It means expectation of success. Oh! An palms! Show the audience your palms, it means you mean no harm and have nothing to hide. So, if you’d like to find out how to really enjoy public speaking, take a look through some of my tips on this blog. If you’d like to find out more about the work I do helping people to be brilliant speakers, make an appointment for a free consultation. You can either come to meet me at our clinic in London’s regent street, or via a Telehealth video call. I look forward to meeting you soon.