By Rosemarie Strawn

As business owners, managers and professionals, we all want to speak in public with confidence. Most of us at some point need to present our ideas or proposals to someone or to a group. It has been said that the number one fear is the fear of speaking in public. There's a story about a king, hero and lion. One day, a very long time ago, the hero had contradicted the king's statement. To make an example of him, the king decided to put him to death by throwing him into the cage with a ferocious lion. Everyone was invited to witness this merciless act. When the lion approached him, the hero whispered in his ears, which caused him to retreat. Everyone was curious about this turn of events and asked the hero what he had whispered. The hero replied "I told him that he would have to make an after dinner speech." Even the lion has the fear of public speaking. The following are 10 practical techniques on how to better manage the fear of public speaking:

1. Rehearse - practice your speech with family and close friends, which will give you confidence later for your audience

2. Relax - deep breathe before you face the audience to reduce your nervousness and to relax your voice

3. Feel no pain - there's no penalty if you forget some points or if you do not make eye contact with everyone: you will do well

4. Just say it - you are the subject matter expert and your audience is there because they are interested in what you have to say

5. Show sincere interest - be enthusiastic and energetic about your topic and people will mirror your attitude

6. Use your body - move your eyes, mouth, head, arms and legs as you speak to emphasize and dramatize points and add interest and variety to your speech: this is entertaining to your audience

7. Smile often - it's infectious: when you smile, your audience smiles with you

8. Enjoy your spotlight - absorb the applause from your delighted audience as you complete your speech and remember this great feeling for your next one

9. View a 5-minute video of our Public Speaking with Confidence workshop at http://www.positiveactions.com/mediaupdates/strawn5min.asf or attend our Public Speaking with Confidence workshop, view details at http://positiveactions.com/services/abstractpublicspeakingwebsite.pdf

10. Join Toastmasters International - become a member of a great speaking organization that will help you improve your public speaking skills

Tell me what your biggest challenge is with public speaking and I'll include this information in our next Ezine. Don't delay! Speak in public with confidence today!

About the Author: Rosemarie Strawn is a Motivational Speaker and Corporate Trainer with over 15 years experience in Team Productivity Improvement. She has integrated her strong corporate Managerial and Technical expertise to develop comprehensive training solutions. Also, Ms. Strawn provides Public Speaking Coaching to increase sales and customer satisfaction. Ms. Strawn is the Owner of Positive Actions.