Perfectionism Just Magnifies Fear of Public Speaking

The vast majority of people hate to speak in public, and when they do, their greatest fear is making a terrible mistake. Naturally, they work on trying to be perfect. But Seymour Segnit, Founder and President of CTRN (http://ChangeThatsRightNow.com), argues that striving for perfection is counterproductive.

“I’m not saying your shouldn’t try to be your best when giving a talk,” Segnit says, “but the anxious energy that often goes into trying to make something absolutely perfect is totally counterproductive.”

Segnit advises people with public speaking fear not to get hung up on small gaffes and speaking mistakes. He says the best public speakers just move right on, or else brush off a bad mistake with humor. The latest video lesson can be viewed online at http://ConfidentlySpeaking.com .

“If you look at the very best speakers out there,” Segnit says, “those with the most powerful stage presence – say Barack Obama or Tony Robbins – they make mistakes, and they make them all the time – but it makes no difference to their momentum and their message.”

“Just be as good as you can and enjoy the ride,” he says.

Segnit’s company, CTRN: Change That’s Right Now, teaches people with the worst cases of stage fright to overcome the fear of public speaking. CTRN has launched this new series of video lessons to help anyone deal with the stress of speaking in public.

“There is lots of help out there for public speaking,” he says. “But little of it deals with the psychological aspects of giving a speech – managing your emotional state as you speak – and that’s where people need the most help.”

by Seymour Segnit