By Jean A. Hollands

Public speaking is one of the most anxiety-producing fears. In a business situation, a shy, introverted engineer may be asked to explain his or her slides to hundreds of people. Even behind-the-scenes players can find themselves in a situation where they may be required to address a large audience.

Some extroverts look at public speaking as an opportunity and a challenge; they feed off applause and enjoy the recognition. But stage fright affects many, despite position, experience or personality.

No matter how frightening the prospect, public speaking is a chance to educate, motivate, inspire, persuade or sell. Here are a few tips to develop this necessary skill.

• Summarize your speech in nine bulleted sentences. Keep that card in front of you and speak extemporaneously from the nine reminders. Don’t memorize and recite a word-for-word speech.

• Practice the content of your speech, of course, but also practice your nonverbal presentation. Your audience will only listen to a portion of your speech. Your comfort level and how you say it becomes as important as what you say.

• If your presentation requires PowerPoint slides, keep the bullet points sparse and, again, talk spontaneously - don’t recite what the slides say. Your audience can read.

• Pay attention to your audience. Make eye contact with a friendly, engaged face. If possible, scan the room and move from person to person, holding contact for a sentence or two before moving to the next participant.

• If you stumble or stop, pause, breathe and continue with, “Ouch, I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. Bear with me a moment.” Collect yourself and proceed when you are able. It will only take a few seconds - it may seem like an hour, but it isn’t.

• Audiences want to be educated or entertained. If you have new information or research to share, they will be on your side. If you reveal a bit of vulnerability, the audience will respond with patience.

• Take care of logistics. Ask for a podium to lean on and to hold your nine-point note cards. Make sure you have a glass of water nearby.

• Don’t rush. Use pauses judiciously, especially in the beginning. Smile when appropriate.

• It helps to have a light-hearted, funny beginning. It doesn’t have to be a joke -some of us aren’t joketellers. If it is the most difficult speech you’ve ever given, say so. “This may be the first day or my speaking career … or it could be my last.”

Hopefully, it won’t be your last.

Jean A. Hollands, M.S., is founder and chairwoman of the Growth and Leadership Center in Mountain View. For more information, call 966-1144 or visit www.glcweb.com.