As a professional speaking coach, I think about the presentations that have shaped our Jewish history:
Moshe trying to convince Pharaoh to free the Jewish people; the spies urging the people not to conquer Eretz Yisroel; and Shlomo HaMelech delivering his verdict in the most famous custody dispute in history. Often these presentations have pertained to matters of life and death for masses of people.

Most of us never have to make a presentation with lives hanging in the balance. I make presentations for a living. I speak before groups of people, sometimes hundreds at a time, almost every day. And I get paid to do this, so you might think of me as a professional presenter. But what if I told you that those presentations are only a fraction of the number of presentations I deliver in a day? In fact, when I talk to groups on my subject of expertise, I begin by asking the audience how many presentations they make in a 24 hour period. Usually, those men and women, who come from all walks of life, think about a formal audience setting with a lot of seats, a podium and a microphone. But then with a little prompting, a thought begins to dawn on them. What really is a presentation anyway? Is a presentation defined by the size of the audience, or is it defined by what you are trying to accomplish at that moment?

As the light of recognition begins to shine in the eyes of my audience, they re-evaluate their initial answer. Maybe every time they communicate with their boss, that’s a presentation. Meaning they make presentations many times a day. Maybe every time they send an email or win over a friend to their point of view on WhatsApp is a presentation – meaning they make dozens of presentations a day. Maybe any time they attempt to convince anybody, anywhere, of anything – in business, at home, on the phone, in person, one-on-one, or in groups – that’s a presentation. In which case, they might actually make hundreds of presentations a day!

Well, if we are going to make so many presentations each day, we might as well learn some tools on how to be more effective at delivering them.

One of the most important tools that I share with my students is how to control fear. Aside from politicians and professional speakers, who really loves talking in public? Not many people. In fact, public speaking ranks among the things Americans fear most in the world, according to a Gallop Poll, which found the only thing we are more scared of is snakes!

I have found that many people who are successful in many areas still suffer from a fear of public speaking. Even though it may be masked by other activities in their lives, many people don’t have a very strong self image and when they find themselves in front of any audience, they become very vulnerable.

A grandmother once came to me to help prepare her for an audition to be a tour guide in Yad Vashem. She had no idea how she would ever get the job because she was petrified of speaking in front of small groups – even when the audience was only her children and grandchildren! “Over the years I had developed a bad case of stage fright, which had actually become a phobia in every way,” she recalled. “If I even had to say my name and address in front of more than five people, my heart would beat rapidly, my mouth would get dry, and my back would hurt so badly that I almost buckled over. But worst of all, my mind would freeze and I couldn’t remember what I wanted to say.”

Nonetheless, she wanted to conquer her fear. After being coached by me, she went on to deliver an eight-minute speech to the judges at Yad Vashem. The usual symptoms that followed her whenever she had to speak were no longer there and she was able to keep the audience’s attention for the entire eight minutes. Best of all, she even enjoyed herself! In the end, she was so happy with her accomplishment that she no longer cared if she got the job at all. Needless to say, she did. “I feel this was a real breakthrough for me and the beginning of something that I was always hoping for,” she said.

With proper training and practice, most people can control their fear of public speaking. I know because I’ve helped thousands of people to control their “butterflies in their stomachs.”

So here are three tips to get you started:

1. Practice, practice, practice.
   Don’t think that you won’t be nervous if you are getting in front of an audience unprepared. Practice your talk a few times while recording yourself, or with a trusted friend who will give you honest feedback. Don’t just wing it!
2. Don’t focus on yourself.
   Focus on your message and make sure that message benefits the audience. The more you believe in your message, the more passionate and focused you will deliver it.
3. Know that the audience wants you to succeed.
   They don’t have it in for you. People feel that someone in the audience will know more about the topic than them and ridicule them. Trust me, they won’t.

Controlling our fear of public speaking, learning to be an effective communicator, and presenting efficiently can transform many areas of our lives, because life is a series of presentations.