Speak with Confidence

Chapter 9The Who: Your Audience

I said in the previous chapter that the center of any message is its content. No content, no message to speak. But the reason for every presentation is the audience. To play off of a classic philosophical question, “If a speaker gives a speech and no one is around to hear it, does he or she make a sound?”

The reason for the presentation is the people, but they're also the reason for most of the fear. Think about it. Fear of public speaking is driven by (1) the challenge of gathering and organizing the content and (2) the prospect of having to present this content to real people. Some people fear creating the message more, but most are more afraid of the audience. The percentage of each person's fear driven by the audience varies, but I have a very scientific method to determine your percentage. Just answer this question:

How much would you prefer to deliver the content via an email over a live presentation? Mark your answer below.

Got it? Now, find the number below your answer and multiply it times 10. That's the percentage of your fear that is driven by the audience instead of the content. So, if you marked a 7, then your fear is 70% audience. Maybe this isn't quite that scientific.

Knowing your percentage will help you focus your efforts on what is the greatest threat to your confidence. Based on my experience, chances are good that your percentage ...