Public Speaking 5 Ways to Combat the Fear

Public Speaking 5 Ways to Combat the Fear A fear of public speaking is quite common, and at times people can find the phobia very debilitating.  Unfortunately, there are many times throughout a person’s personal and professional life where  speaking in public may be required or expected, and if the fear is great, it can affect performance. Many people do their very best to avoid public speaking whenever possible, but this is not the best  way to handle the situation, as it can impose limitations in your education or career and cost you  memorable and rewarding opportunities throughout life. Instead, it is important to face your fears  and anxieties head on, work through them, and empower yourself by becoming confident at  speaking in public. Symptoms: The fear of public speaking is very real, and those who suffer from it experience physical and  emotional symptoms. When somebody suffers from such a phobia it can make it virtually impossible  to carry out tasks be it a job interview, toast at a wedding, a speech or presentation at work. Symptoms can vary depending on the person but often includes sweating, increased heart rate,  temporary spikes in blood pressure, anxiety about looking foolish or not performing well, and even a  full blown panic attack in more extreme cases. Looking at the symptoms above, it’s really no wonder that many people allow their fear of speaking  in public to get the better of them. The effects on their wellbeing can be quite uncomfortable and  hard to manage. Overcoming the fear: Becoming more comfortable with public speaking can be a wonderful breakthrough in a person’s  life, and every effort should be taken to get in control of your fears as it will positively affect your  confidence going forward. Some people will try to use tricks to overcome their fear of speaking in public such as imagining the  audience in their underpants or other silly things to make the situation less intimidating, but in all  actuality this is not an effective way to cope with the phobia. The best way to overcome a fear of  public speaking is to properly prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. Working through your fears methodically and with determination will provide you with the most  effective means in which to conquer your fear. Instead of trying to rush through the task as quickly  as possible, or detract attention from your speaking by using a lot of slides and other props, be  completely prepared for your speaking engagement and overcome any anxieties by making sure you  are confident in the material, well-practised, and focused on a positive outcome. Understanding what attributes make for a good public speaker and working on those factors will not  only prepare you for any upcoming speaking obligations but be an effective way to work through  your fears and anxieties about speaking to a group. This will enable you to deal with your issues in a  positive manner. In addition to this, there are also a number of breathing techniques that can be  used to calm the nerves before you begin speaking, allowing you to speak more effectively. Preparation: Acknowledging your fear about speaking is the first and most important step for overcoming it. Once  you have acknowledged that you struggle you can then start to implement techniques that will not  only make you a more capable public speaker but will better equip you to positively deal with your  fears once and for all. This will change your overall outlook on public speaking, allowing you to  embrace the opportunity and achieve success. Discussed below are some helpful tips to help you deal with the anxiety of speaking in public: 1) Face your fears Accept that a fear of speaking is in fact an issue for you, and that you fully intend to work through it  and put the fear behind you. Avoidance will never help you feel any better and it takes bravery to  overcome any fear and move past it. 2) Learn from others Watch carefully when given the opportunity to listen to other speakers, especially those who do it  professionally. Many careers rely heavily on the ability to speak publically, including management  positions, organisers, guest speakers, and teachers. Someone suffering with performance anxiety  should take note, and learn what they can from watching these speakers, as they are often brilliant  at it and can teach you a lot. 3) Know your material inside and out Of course being unprepared for any task will bring with it a certain amount of fear and anxiety.  Practice, practice and more practice can help in alleviating those fears. Make sure you know youre  speaking material inside and out having your material well practiced, although not memorised, will  give you the confidence and self-assurance you need to feel calm and relaxed about the task at  hand. Knowing your material like the back of your hand will allow you to think on your feet, roll with  the punches, and deliver the best possible presentation or speech possible. 4) Talk to the mirror Practice delivering a speech to your mirror. This face time will allow you to see how you come across  to your audience, where emphasis should be put, and give you the handy advantage of self-awareness. This can help you avoid any embarrassing facial expressions or make you aware of any  noticeable physical habits you may have. 5) Positive thinking It is very important to always think positively, and visualise a successful outcome. The power of  positive thinking is very real and if we invite negative thoughts into our mind we are inviting  negativity into our worlds. This is also an effective technique during a speaking engagement. Think  about something that makes you happy, it will keep you relaxed and in control of the moment. Overcoming the fear of public speaking is important, as it will help you overcome limits in both your  personal and professional life. Allowing a fear of any kind to limit you is something that can be  overcome with perseverance and the right attitude. Author:  This guest post has been provided Katie Bassil from Flow Caritas, a leading UK recruiter for charity  jobs in the not for profit industry.

4 Things That May Affect the Results of Your Job Interviews

4 Things That May Affect the Results of Your Job Interviews You’ve been applying for jobs for a while now.You’ve perfected your resume. You’ve written a great cover letter. You have done some networking on LinkedIn.All your efforts have proved successful as you finally landed a few interviews.Whether you are a new job seeker or a veteran to the job search, interviews can be a scary thing.While you may know the questions to prepare for, there are some other things you should consider when going into a job interview.4. TimingThe time of your job interview and when you arrive could be affecting your job search more than you realized.While I’m sure you know not to be late to an interview, arriving too early can also be affecting your interview results.There is a balance between arriving early to show punctuality and arriving too early.Arriving 15-30 minutes can make you appear too anxious, and it can inconvenience your interviewer.It's best to arrive five to ten minutes early.Another time factor affecting your job search is when you sched ule your interview.You want to avoid scheduling your interview too late in the day when your interviewer could be tired and have their mind distracted by other priorities.According to Glassdoor, the best time to schedule an interview is at 10:30 AM, when people are at their most productive.3. Lack of Knowledge About the CompanyWith all the information available online, coming into an interview without researching the company is unacceptable.Not knowing the company can make you seem uninterested in the position and the company. It can even come across as insulting.Before your interview, look up the company online. Browse their website and the services they offer.Get a sense of the company’s culture to see how where you fit and what you can bring to the table.If you can, find information on the team you are interviewing for and write down questions relating to your research.Be prepared to give information about what the company does and what you can bring to the team.2. OversharingB eing personable and friendly are great tips for an interview, but it’s important to understand the line between friendly and too friendly.Sharing too much personal information when asked to tell about yourself can have adverse effects on your interview.Revealing too much personal information in an interview can come off unprofessional to the interviewer.Keep your answer concise and limited to your professional accomplishments.Having a few stories that show off your personality and relate to your work is a good plan for the interview.If you find yourself getting off track, take a breath and bring the subject back to theposition at hand.1. Asking Too Much About the Perks Too SoonBringing up salary and benefits in an interview is a tricky situation that can have disastrous effects on the outcome.It’s important to know the right time to bring up salary and benefits in an interview.Asking too much too soon can seem like you are only interested in the benefits of the position.It is be st to wait for the interviewer to give information on salary and benefits.If you have questions about the salary or benefits, do some research on the company beforehand to get an idea.Researching the salary estimates beforehand will also help prepare if the interviewer asks about your expectations.

Can Social Media Sink your Career

Can Social Media Sink your Career (From NYT 7/25/11) Joe Bontke, outreach manager for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s office in Houston, said that he regularly reminds employers and human resource managers about the risks of violating federal antidiscrimination employment rules and laws by using online research in hiring decisions. “Things that you can’t ask in an interview are the same things you can’t research,” he said, which includes the gamut of information covering a person’s age, gender, religion, disability, national origin and race. That said, he added that 75 percent of recruiters are required by their companies to do online research of candidates. And 70 percent of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of information online, he said. So what does that mean for you?   As you do other   end of the year cleaning and organizing, why not pay attention to your online footprint as well?   If your Facebook page seems a little too informal and social, create another profile for professional use.   Better yet, redirect your professional and job search contacts to your LinkedIn profile.   For tips on making it more effective, see this post.   You can never really eliminate any unflattering photos or posts; everything lives on forever on the world-wide web.   But you can make sure that youve deleted unprofessional or unflattering photos or posts and unfriended people whose less-than-professional posts may show up in your news feed.   Get rid of pages you like that dont reflect your best self, and stop liking snarky posts from your friends.   Everyone is connected to everyone on social networks, and you can never control who sees your activity. A worker was at home recovering from surgery; shed requested several days off because she wasnt quite able to return to work.    Her daughter posted about a social event she (the mom) attended and her manager saw the post.   No harm done this time, but why take the chance? Do a Google search on your name and see    what you find.     Are there any public record or news notices (like arrests, lawsuits or bankruptcies) for people with names similar to yours?   That may be what a recruiter sees first in a search for you.    You cant control it, but you should be  aware of it.   Social networking is here to stay, and it can be a valuable tool in your job search.   But like most effective tools, it can have sharp edges and require training before use.

The Hourglass Solution

The Hourglass Solution What’s Next for Baby Boomers? Jeff Johnson, PhD., and Paula Forman, PhD. Wrote The Hourglass Solution, a book that provides Baby Boomers “a guide to the rest of your life.”   Baby Boomers have struggled during this economic downturn; they were deeper in debt than other generations, and are having a tough time finding replacements for the high income jobs they lost.   Many are facing major lifestyle changes, moving in with family members, downsizing to small homes, or becoming one-earner families for the first time in a generation. Even Baby Boomers who are working are going through a crisis, according to the authors.   This generation (full disclosure: this is my generation) is living longer and in better health than any previous generation.   We are defined by our intense optimism (in some cases, bordering on denial) that may have been based on the fact that we felt we had complete control over the choices in our lives. This was the first generation that could choose to get married or choose almost any other lifestyle: cohabitation, staying single without stigma, and a hundred variations in between.   We could choose when or whether to have children.   Women could choose to have a demanding career and raise a family; it used to be an either / or decision.     All this choice gave us a feeling of unlimited possibilities when we were young. But we’re no longer young (on the outside, at least.)   We’re in our fifties and sixties, and feeling that the world has changed dramatically. Some of the social bonds that gave meaning to life are breaking down or changing forever.   During this recession, many people lost jobs, which is usually one of the defining roles in our lives.   Marriages are strained under harsh economic conditions, and childrearing duties are winding down.   In this digital age, community organizations like clubs and even churches are seeing sharply lower attendance and struggling to compete for attention and members.   We are feeling less connected than previous generations. According to Johnson and Forman, feeling trapped in our choices is one of the leading causes of depression in Baby Boomers.   The MacArthur Foundation conducted a long term study they called Midlife in America.   The study asked middle-aged Americans about their health, habits and outlook as they face the second half of their lives.   One college graduate gave this response to the question: “What are your hopes for the future?”   She said, “To be able to make choices… Not to be in a position where you have to do something because you have no choice.” Many of us can relate. Johnson and Forman use the hourglass metaphor to describe this pinched feeling for Boomers.   They say that we’re experiencing a high level of angst, feeling trapped by our choices so far and seeing limited options for our future.   We are trapped between aging parents who are having health problems and increasingly dependent children hit hard by the recession.   We are facing the prospect of raising our grandchildren.   We’re unable to downsize or move because our homes are underwater or in a market where sales are very low. Yuck. After reading that paragraph, you’d be depressed too, even if you weren’t before. The good news is that Johns and Forman have advice to help Boomers explore their options for creating a new life.   “They can do it; they’ve done it at every stage of their lives,” they write. We don’t have to feel stuck; we can slip through to what the authors call “Greater Adulthood,” where we have choices about how we want to live.   And the very act of choosing, they say, will invigorate us and inspire us.   If youre a Baby Boomer, what do you think?

11 Phrases First-Time Managers Should Never Say to Their Team (And What to Say Instead) CareerMetis.com

11 Phrases First-Time Managers Should Never Say to Their Team (And What to Say Instead) â€" CareerMetis.com Establishing your persona as a first-time boss is not easy. While it is important to be true to yourself and honest with your crew, getting a balance between trust, respect, and authority requires thought and care.Previous generations of bosses didn’t worry so much about this: they oversaw a culture of unquestioning obedience, or even fear.But the so-called coaching style of management that has become more popular in recent years has been shown to also be more effective â€" around 80% of employeeswith coaching-style bosses say that they work, communicate, and feel better than when they were simply told what to and how to do it evalThe coaching style doesn’t require you to get out the blackboard and start chalking up different working formations and set-pieces like a sports coach. You can get to that later!In the first place just remember: ask questions, listen, don’t pull rank. Observe the unique qualities of your individual employees and be sensitive to opportunities to improv e, or potential pitfalls in asking too much of staff who aren’t ready for specific responsibilities.It is easy to be dazzled with suggestions that you adopt one ‘school’ of management or another. So while you develop your broader management style, it is very helpful to keep a few concrete principles to hand which you can use in the ordinary day-to-day running of the department or business.Encouraging developmentWhen you do see that an employee is struggling or has made a mistake, it is actually a great opportunity to demonstrate that you can be trusted and that you value their contribution. Yell at them or hint at the precariousness of their job, and you instantly lose that trust: they become more likely to hide mistakes or avoid complex tasks altogether in the future. They certainly won’t remain emotionally invested in their job if they feel it is permanently under threat, or that they are just there to perform tasks for money.Demonstrating how to complete a task properly i s a good chance to try out your coaching technique. Ask questions as you go along: how would you do this? why do you think I’m doing it this way? You will encourage the employee to engage and learn, while demonstrating that you value their input.And when they do get something right, try to vary your praise so it feels genuine. If you enjoy constructive criticism, you’re going to love constructive praise! With this approach, you ask questions about how your employee achieved what they did, how they enjoyed it, workflow improvements they would suggest, and further development opportunities connected to their achievement.Before you know it, you’re coaching. But to get started, it helps to have some material to work with. Try learning these few short coaching phrases to use in the workplaceand â€" just as important â€" the principles behind them, and you will soon be ready to inspire trust and excellence in your new position as boss.Infographic Source : Headway Capital

Motivation Monday Is It a Coincidence

Motivation Monday Is It a Coincidence How did you hear about the last job you got? What I am asking is how did you learn about the opportunity, not what action you took or how you applied. Chances are at least half of you said you heard about it from someone or read about it on a networking site. Finding that job was not a coincidence, was it? Most likely you heard about that job because of several factors: 1) You knew what you were looking for 2) You had been clearly communicating to people what you were looking for 3) You were attentively monitoring places where opportunities were shared Re-creating Being at the right place at the right time Looking for your next opportunity means proactively and systematically putting your clear message out there. It means that you dont hide at home digging on the job boards for jobs that might seem like a fit. Be clear about what you are looking for! Communicate the right message! Identify companies that could potentially need your expertise! Be positive and confident as you share your message with friends, colleagues, and family! And here are 5 more Ways to Get Out of Your Job Search Rut! Be happy and THEN succeed! Have a super week and get out there!

Writing a Successful HR Resume

Writing a Successful HR ResumeIf you're trying to write a HR resume, you have a number of important things to take into consideration. Getting a job is difficult enough, but if you fail to make yourself stand out from the crowd, you'll find that your chances of getting hired are much slimmer. But if you don't know how to write a well-written resume, then you're certainly not going to get hired.You need to spend a little time thinking about the types of things that you are going to put on your resume. These things can include specific skills and experience that you've got, or they can be general descriptions of your job performance. You can use many of these descriptions as a template to help you write a well-written resume. These should be balanced with a few key points about your experiences that are different than others, and these points should be ones that will separate you from the other applicants.When it comes to writing a HR resume, the first thing that you have to do is to d evelop an idea about what type of information you want to include. If you're applying for a position as a development manager, you might decide that you'd like to list some specific examples of projects that you have been involved in. For this reason, you should think about the types of projects that you have worked on in the past and determine what experience you have relating to that type of project.One of the best ways to get a good idea about the type of information that you should include on your HR resume is to take a look at what others are including. Look at the formats used by job seekers. You can see how these people have organized their information, and this can give you some ideas about how you should organize yours.As far as the types of details that you're going to include on your HR resume, you'll find that there are two main categories. One of these is that you'll have to mention the specific title that you hold, and this will allow the employer to quickly see which of the various departments you're responsible for is responsible for what. These titles should also be unique, so that there is no confusion.Another category of information that you should include on your HR resume is the date that you became available for a new position. Your prospective employer wants to know that you were just 'available' for the position that you are looking for, so this is something that you should think about carefully. If you are looking for a job that is six months away, this is the information that you should include.When it comes to formatting the content of your HR resume, you have two options. You can either go with a regular resume format, or you can choose one of the template systems that are available on the market today. This last option is particularly helpful, because it will save you a lot of time and effort, while letting you focus on creating your own unique resume.When it comes to writing a HR resume, you have a number of options. You can eithe r use standard templates, or you can choose to go with one of the newer template systems available. Which one you should use depends largely on the type of job that you are applying for, as well as your own personal preferences.