Category: Manage stress with hypnosis

1. How to stop being afraid of public speaking

   Posted on 11:00am Monday 4th Feb 2019

   What can I do if I am afraid of speaking in Public?

   

   The Guardian recently published an interesting article all about the fear of public speaking with lots of really great links to help and advice. You can read the full Guardian article here if you want to take a deep dive into all the advice. Here's some of the ideas that I think can really help you to look at speaking to a crowd in presentations, or even for something like a wedding speech.

   They make a really good point about how the most important thing is for a crowd to see that you are at ease. Nerves can be infectious, so if you look nervous the audience will pick up on that and become nervous too. It's not really the words that you are saying that is the most important thing. It is rather the way that you say them...

   "as any public speaker knows, the business of presenting to a large audience is a confidence trick: that is, a speaker who seems to be at ease will put their audience at ease. A speaker with a look of sick terror and a tremor in his or her voice will communicate his or her own baleful vibes of unease to the audience, and enter a vicious circle. A bad joke put over with confidence will get a laugh. A good joke put over apologetically will die on its arse."

   
   It is good to remember that in fact your audience are probably on your side! They want to enjoy what you are saying if it is a wedding speech, and if you are teaching them something they probably want to understand and learn something from you.

   The article also reiterates one of the most important things...Know Your Audience!

   "That old wine includes knowing your audience, seeking to project authenticity, using relatable narratives and humanising examples, and giving a speech a robust structure with a grabby opening and a memorable payoff. "

   If you know who you are talking to then you can tailor what you are doing to help you as much as them. You don't need to get hung up on the ins and outs. Write some notes up, maybe just a few cue cards. The last thing you should do is read all your notes out. If you can't read it as well as a presenter on Cbeebies doing the bedtime story, then it just isn't a good way to work.

   Be yourself, but.. “So often, people go to the podium and, for all sorts of reasons, pretend to be something they are not,” says Simon Lancaster (author of Speechwriting: The Expert Guide). “People are wise to this bullshit. Just be yourself (which sounds easier than it really is).” That means being the best version of yourself. Speak with notes (advised) or without them if you’re super-confident. But reading the entire speech from a sheet of paper kills the spontaneity (“Readers can’t be leaders”).

   
   My background is in acting and presenting. I spent many years with a daily BBC Local Radio Show, so if you are looking for some more help you can visit me and learn more about how hypnotherapy and other techniques can mean you can let go of the nerves and really enjoy talking to people.

   Once you learn that you can enjoy it you can find it's a really pleasurable thing to be able to do!

   You can email me on 

   [email protected]

2. What does EMLI Stand for?

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 20th Nov 2018

   What does EMLI Stand for?

    

   You may have heard the acronym EMLI in relation to panic attacks or anxiety attacks as some people call them. But what does it stand for and what does it actually mean?

    

   Anyone can suffer a panic attack and when they happen they can be very frightening indeed. The fight or flight reaction that happens can be particularly overwhelming and can even lead to you stopping doing things because you worry that you will get into a cycle and have another panic attack.

    SO What does EMLI mean then ?

   E is for Event

   
   The ‘E’ stands for Event, something that happened to you that triggered this reaction. Something has happened which effectively traumatised you. This can be a single event like a car accident or a result of a growing feeling of stress and anxiety when perhaps things are difficult at work and at home.

    

   M is for Meaning

   
   The ‘M’ is the Meaning in that event. You perhaps tell yourself that going into a supermarket makes you have a panic attack, or the noise of a car backfiring. For people who have P.T.S.D, noise can often trigger that reaction.  

    

   L is for Landscape

   
   The ‘L’ is about the Landscape of your mind and body. During an anxiety attack your body is flooding itself with adrenaline and cortisol. It is the classic fight or flight reaction, however sometimes there wasn’t a real threat, just an imagined one. This means that a panic attack can chang the landscape of your brain. The part of the brain called the amygdala, sees what happens and then regulates all of our emotions, based on the response we have. After the first attack it will be checking for an event that might be like the first one. Because we act and think in patterns when you hear a noise or see something that reminds you it can trigger another attack.

    

   I is for Inescapability

   
   Finally the ‘I’ is the feeling of Inescapability. After a panic attack or when the feeling returns you feel trapped, you can’t escape the place or the feeling. It can happen so quickly that you just don’t know where it is coming from.

   The good news is that with the right help you can learn to let go of the panic attacks, reduce the stress and anxiety and deal with them in a way that means you can stop them from happening. If you are looking for help please do drop me and email and I can let you know how I may be able to help. You can contact me on [email protected]