TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Got butterflies? those pesky, nagging, fluttering feelings in your stomach because you have to give a speech? You have progressed beyond sheer terror, because you know your subject matter and you have practiced. Maybe you took a college speech class or joined Toastmasters, both very good resources to overcome stage fright. If you still feel those fluttering sensations in your gut, here are some things you can do to exterminate them.

In most cases, you feel nervous because you are thinking more about yourself than your audience. You hone in on your feelings rather than theirs. An audience focus will transfer much of the anxiety into positive presentation energy. Try mingling with the audience in advance of the speech. Shake hands, ask relevant questions and target your remarks to meet their needs. If personal contact is impossible, you can still research the demographics of the audience: age, education, income, gender and marital status. The knowledge will help to select vocabulary, illustrative stories and context for the speech. For example, many would consider a press conference a hostile audience, bordering on a lynch mob. However, in most cases, the reporters have no prejudice. They just want you to provide explanations and context for the event. Knowing the desires of the audience will help you structure a great speech and minimize the flutters.

In your high school speech class, you learned that a speech needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Your teacher may not have told you that a great speech needs a point. If you are talking to a group of high school students, you will be lucky to communicate one or two major points. With a room full of engineers, you can make more points. When constructing your speech, you should rank the importance of your points and highlight the most important ones. When delivering the speech, don't waste time with impromptu chatting in the beginning when you are most self-conscious. That is a breeding ground for butterflies. Stick to your prepared comments and get to the point.

Don't practice your speech in front of a mirror. That directs your attention to yourself. You notice the extra pounds, the zits and other imperfections. To avoid obsessing over embarrassing things that you don't want others to notice, make a list and check it in the mirror before going on. I once played the part of Harold Hill in "The Music Man." While standing in the wings, my co-star whispered, "XYZ," a euphemism for your fly is down. I was embarrassed that this attractive young woman noticed my inability to dress myself, but more grateful that she saved me from displaying my weakness to 400 audience members. There are two points to this story: One, every speech needs some drama and two, every speaker needs a buddy. Rather than give your speech to a mirror, work with a friend who will see your speech from the audience's perspective and do the same for them. Checking your fly is one step toward checking the butterflies.

The single most important insecticide to kill the butterflies and ensure your metamorphosis into a great speaker is confidence.

In conclusion, here are some couplets that offer confidence.

* Don't dress to be comfortable; wear what makes you feel confident. Mayor Hall is known for his flashy suits. Frankly, he must be confident to wear some of them.

* Don't shy away from the microphone; it is a source of power so your brilliant ideas will be heard.

* You needn't be a genius to be a great speaker.

* What you lack in knowledge, make up for with passion.

* People may debate your points, but they can't refute what you feel.

* Details are less important than facts stated emphatically.

* Speak from the heart; it gives your message muscle.

-- Russ Allred, MBA, is a business consultant and author with Sunbelt Business Brokers & Advisors. These are his opinions, not necessarily those of The Californian.