Yes, man's greatest fear is public speaking. The statistics tell us so. Instead of being part of those statistics, however, why not address those fears and learn how to put your nervousness to good use? Of course your first response is to question how that is possible. How do you take your nervousness and let it work for you and not against you?

The first thing you need to understand is that nervousness is a good thing. Many people are under the mistaken belief that they need to...

Most people who hear themselves on their voicemail or answering machine do not like what they hear. How do you feel when you hear yourself on some form of recording equipment? When you think about the image you project, be it in person or over the phone, would you consider your recorded voice to be an asset? Does it ‘speak well' for you?

How you think you sound and how everyone else hears you are two different things. So my question to you is what image does your voiceon...

"Acting" seems to be quite underestimated as a way to help improve the self. You can choose to use "acting" in order to be more confident. At first, it may feel that you are just pretending to be confident. But actually, there is a shift in belief already when you pursue to "act as if" in order to "be".

How can a person do this? It all begins by putting on the appropriate mindset. So you want to be confident, right? What is the mindset of a...

The Foam balls are becoming very popular as they are in use extensively to enhance the looks of homes and offices. Such balls come in various sizes and colors. They are extremely lightweight and kids use them as a toy. Such small foam balls are also useful as stress relieving balls for adults. They are very easy to carry and to place them on any surface you want. The following are a few uses of these balls:

Office: In fact, many offices keep such balls made of foam all over...

I recently had the opportunity to hear a world-renowned public speaker and was surprised as well as disappointed by his delivery. While his message was excellent, his means of delivering that message would have gotten him a C- in my college public speaking class. Without a doubt, content is important in any form of public speaking; however, if your entire script is written out word-for-word in your PowerPoint presentation, why bother? It would be a better use of the audience's time if...

In public speaking, it is common knowledge that your opening must grab the attention of your audience with your initial remarks. And, beginning your presentation with the words, "Today I'm going to talk to you about…." is not the way you do that. In fact, when I was teaching at both the college and graduate school levels, I would fail any student who opened his/her presentation with those words.

Without a doubt, if you do not capture your audience with your...

That which causes your voice to sound hoarse or creates a chronic sore throat is called vocal abuse. While it is common for pop singers, it also happens to many people because of speaking and/or yelling for great lengths of time. Unfortunately, vocal abuse will not go away on its own if you continue with the same techniques that have caused the problem to begin with.

What this means is that if you are a teacher, trainer, coach, public speaker, politician, or minister, for...

I wanted the thoughts expressed below to be politically neutral, but upon review of scores of female leaders in both parties – and please try this at home - it's beyond a doubt, the ladies of the GOP represent concrete evidence that the high pitched female voice is alive and well, painful. While Sarah Palin bashing is so yesterday, she does remain the poster child for this lamentation that Simon Cowell of American Idol fame calls "female pitchy." While the Republicans...

Students facing an important exam usually feel a great deal of stress leading up to the test. Some students even feel a mild or acute anxiety when faced with the prospect of taking an exam over material learned throughout the semester. The key to surviving this hectic time is learning valuable stress-reduction techniques.

So how can it be done? The first and foremost anti-stress method is to focus the mind on more constructive activities such as studying for said exam....

How to make people listen to you?

Do you want people to listen and pay attention to what you say? Do you get frustrated when you talk and no one is interested in what you say?

You probably spend a lot of time interacting and talking with your colleagues, friends, and family every day. Yet, it happens so often that you will be saying something and the people you are having a conversation with are not listening to what you are trying to say, which usually frustrates you as...