Public Speaking can be a major fear for anyone. That said, there are a number of methods where one can overcome this fear and become a successful public speaker. So many lists have been written for this exact purpose. I myself had some fears of public speaking when I first started my public speaking circuit. Would the audience be interested in what I was saying? Would they take anything away from my speech? I tried a number of methods to get over my fears including feverishly practicing, going over the material, and imagining the audience is not in the room. One of the things that has helped me the most, was “role playing”. While role playing, you have the opportunity to turn into someone completely different. There have been entertainers that have talked about the fact that they themselves roleplay when they perform as a way to give a phenomenal performance. A great example of an entertainer who does this is Beyonce. Beyonce regularly discusses how at one point she had an alter ego called “Sasha Fierce” that she would transform into to give a great performance. Because she was a shy person naturally, she used this “alter ego” to transform herself into a phenomenal performance.
In what ways can someone use role playing? Public speaking isn’t always just standing at a podium and talking to an audience. Public speaking can come in many forms. One of the top unofficial types of public speaking is networking. Networking is public speaking. When someone is networking, you have to find a way to engage the person you are speaking to (your audience) and come off genuine and sincere. Additionally that engagement needs to foster the need to follow up. When you leave that sort of impression with someone, it can lead to a plethora of opportunities.
Networking is a phenomenal way to meet new people in your industry as well as sell yourself. When speaking to someone, you should sell yourself and your business in order to accrue interest. Networking is a great way to incorporate role playing. When I first started to sell myself as a public speaker, I would often put myself in a position of feeling like a top entrepreneur. I spoke of myself and my business as a public speaker as it was already successful. The best line I’ve ever heard was “If you don’t believe it, how could someone else believe it?”