7 May
4 Dynamic Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking
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By : Damon Hopkins
Submitted 2009-04-23 15:06:36
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Whether you’re standing before an audience of businesspeople or your classmates, the effect is the same. All of your preparation flies out the window, your knees knock together and you must force yourself to take the stage. Public speaking is a terrifying experience for most people, but it need not be. Most people would rather have a root canal performed than speak in front of a group of people. However, performing well in this environment is not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, it can be an enjoyable experience once you get past your fear of public speaking.
To succeed in the corporate world and to some extent your own personal world, overcoming your fear of public speaking is essential. Which poses the questions: How do you get past this seemingly insurmountable obstacle? How do you bury that fear deep in your heart and not let it overwhelm your defenses? How do you survive such a ghastly ordeal?
1. It’s Not as Bad as It Seems The very first thing you need to understand is that it is not as bad as it seems. You are focusing on the bad things, the things that might happen or could happen that would make you seem foolish or unprepared, that would make your audience laugh in derision, rather than in good humor. Such fears are natural, but baseless. The audience is not there to laugh at you; they have no desire to pick apart your performance looking for absurdities. They have come to hear you speak. They believe you have valuable information to impart and they want to know what you have to say. They obviously place a great deal of value on your opinion and expertise; else, they would have found somewhere else to go.
2. Everyone Experiences a Fear of Public Speaking Everyone experiences a fear of public speaking, no matter how experienced a speaker they might be. This is important to understand – everyone feels the same fear, the same trepidation. Everyone gets the same butterflies in their stomach and experiences the same sweat-slicked palms; even those with years of experience under their belts still succumb to the fear of public speaking. So what does this tell you? It tells you two things: first, the fear you feel is natural and nothing of which to be ashamed. Second, it tells you that you are not alone and if you work through it, you can reap tremendous rewards.
3. You are the Expert – You were Chosen to Speak for a Reason Perhaps you have the most in-depth understanding of a particular product’s features. Perhaps you are responsible for developing and implementing new techniques with wide-ranging ramifications. Maybe you are the only person who understands your company’s new product/service and must explain how it works to potential investors or even to company sales reps. Regardless of the reason, you are the expert – it was no mere accident you were chosen to speak at this event. You have important, vital, unique information to impart, which brings enormous value to your audience. This is your chance to share your information, so that alone should help you resolve your fear for public speaking.
4. Understand the Value You Bring to the Table Once you understand the value you bring to the table, the rest of the process is very simple. While overcoming that fear of public speaking might seem impossible, you can use numerous techniques to help you move past it. For instance, meditation-style breathing techniques, used before you take the stage, will help slow your racing heart and stem the flood of adrenaline surging through your body.
Remember that the audience is likely not going to notice your sweating palms or your nervousness; in many ways, fear of public speaking is simply all in your mind. Having a positive mindset and the right outlook on the event will help you move past this fear. Remember, you are the expert here, take that to heart, and all else will fall into place and you can confidently deliver your engaging speech.
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Author Resource:- David Wilkins has put together a complementary 20 page report full of simple and effective ways to reduce your fear of public speaking, which will help you quickly deal with and solve any anxiety issues. To download it instantly visit:
http://www.publicspeakingmentor.com/banishfearreport.html
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24 Apr
When You Pray…
Public Prayer
When asked to pray, remember to focus on your conversation with God.
See more at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1677101/when_you_pray_.html
23 Apr
Halina, Quezon!
Simply, this song is a call for Quezon townsfolk to cherish, protect and defend their beloved town; to unite and to celebrate everything about their endeared town; for all its charms and providence.
Btw, the lyrics that go with this music was written by Miss Urduja Saspa, a Quezon resident herself.
My contribution is the music and choral arrangement.
Hear it at>> http://tinyurl.com/mariolat or at:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/audio/7892/halina_quezon.html
12 Mar
Blogging- So Much More Than Just Writing
Blogging. Many people think that blogging is as simple as sitting down at the computer and typing up a quick little blurb and then moving on to the next one. And for those who do a personal blog or who are not interested in either promoting themselves or their business or making money- it is. But in order to create something substantial it is a whole lot more than that.
Research
To write an informative blog post is not as easy as it might seem to be. You have to strike the right combination and not only keep your readers interested but teach them something they did not previously know. Every writer has their own style that becomes more distinctive as time goes on but getting into that flow takes time.
Even before writing a blog post a lot of time can be invested in research. This research can include clarifications on the subject you are writing about such as date details, a review of a product, an overview of notes taken previously on the subject, or just an overall gathering of the thoughts in your head.
Once you have a more concrete idea about your topic the research on the written part itself comes in. What keywords are you using and are there any longtail keywords that will work well with your topic? What type of post are you going to write and from what perspective? And what headline is going to garner the most interest?
These questions can sometimes generate confusion and lead to writers block. There are a ton of great tools and how to posts out there to assist you.
Interlinking and Proofreading
Now you have your post written one of the first things that you should do is proof read and spell check your post. There has been a lot of debate about whether articles should be grammatically correct and the spelling error free but a post reads more fluidly and is more easily understood if it reads the way that it should.
Interlinking helps your blog out in several different ways. It helps to get your older pages looked at more frequently and to decrease your bounce rate. It also assists in ranking (although not as much as an incoming link). Once you are done writing your post you can go back and pick out keywords and phrases that you can use to link to other posts on your blog. In the beginning this may seem tedious but once you get in the habit of doing this it will become second nature.
Outbound Links
Linking out to other blogs can be a time consuming activity- but one well worth the effort. Outbound links can assist you in that they show your readers that your knowledge of your post doesn’t stop with what you are writing but with the knowledge of what others are writing about the same topic. It can draw new readers to your blog as people you link to will generally come take a look at what you are writing. It can also help build you up as an authority in your field.
Make sure that you give correct credit when linking to someone else and don’t just put the link in the anchor text without mentioning them or their blog. And it needs to flow smoothly with your post and make sense- don’t just put a link to put a link.
A great example of someone who uses outbound links effectively is Jim Regan at The Net Fool. Every Sunday he writes Sunday Link Love and Announcements in which he writes about the week, gives five links to great posts he has read that week along with a little summary and finishes up with stock market and blogosphere updates and a look ahead. These articles are all high quality posts and really strengthen his credibility.
Promoting
Last but certainly not least- promoting. Promoting your blog can be the most time consuming part of of blogging itself if you are intent on steadily increasing your traffic. There are many different ways to promote your blog including article marketing, forums, social networking and bookmarking sites, and commenting on other blogs.
As you become more proficient in the ways that you want to promote your blog you will find that you are able to do way more in less time. For instance, if using article marketing as a tool you can use article submission sites which automatically submit your article to thousands of websites, blogs, and directories. Or if you choose to do it yourself you can have five different article submission sites open and copy and paste right down the line. (Much, much faster than doing it one at a time.)
Participating on forums and social networks which allow you to use a link to your blog in your signature is a great way to promote yourself and create traffic to your blog. Twitter is also a good source to promote but don’t get too tweet happy with announcing new posts- most of the people following you will also be subscribed to your site and you will be giving them a double whammy.
By using the concepts of attraction marketing and you will make your job that much easier. You can also submit your post to relevant bookmarking sites and directories.
One of the easiest ways to promote your blog is to comment on other blogs especially those that use the comment luv plugin developed by Andy Bailey. This is a perfect example of why headlines are so important. With comment luv there is a line under your comment that links to your last blog post. If your headline is intriguing you may be surprised by the number of clicks you get. (One tip here- if you are getting ready to publish a new post wait to make your comments until after you publish. This gives you a fresh link especially if you have made a lot of comments since your last post).
Conclusion
Overall, it is clear that blogging can be very time consuming to those who take it seriously. Bloggers that have learned how to take what started out as a fun past-time and turn it into a lucrative career have known this all along. While every post doesn’t have to be a candidate for the Nobel prize you do have to be sure that you are using most, if not all, of these techniques in each one to gain the blogging success you are looking for.
The next time someone makes a comment about why it takes you so much time to write a little blog post you can just smile and think to yourself, blogging is so much more than just writing.
About the Author:
Jen Patton is a career wife, mother, and entrepreneur dedicated to sharing knowledge within the network marketing community.
This article was originally published at http://tipsfromanetworkmarketer.com/2009/01/13/blogging-so-much-more-than-just-writing
Go there to view original article with links, make a comment, or give a suggestion
Article Source:
12 Mar
Proven and Useful Blogging Tips for Blogging Beginners
By Francis Lua
Most bloggers unable to get the hang of the numerous blogs they have found. Most of them having a hard time doing on their own. This is natural for numerous people due to the knowledge and experience when blogging. Here you will find some helpful tips on effective blogging.
Blogging has become necessity for most people. It has become the trend that everyone must have a blog. As we all know most bloggers using blog only for fun and some making use the blog a way to make money. So, if you are a new to blog then these tips will help you proceed to another level.
Tip 1: Put a headline
See to it readers have an idea of what they are reading. Do not put a write up or a video blog with no sense at all. Make it a point that they participate by giving out opinions and comments. Think of what is interesting to read. Let the readers be captivated, to do so, begin with your title. Make it a head turner. Motivate by grabbing their attention.
Tip 2: Build paragraphs
Every blog consists of one thought. That does not necessarily mean you must imitate that thought by maintaining one whole paragraph per section. Split your ideas. Cut them down into bits. Compose sub ideas that will support the whole picture. Do not give your viewers a hard time reading a big rock. Break them into marbles.
Tip 3: Characterize
Put some attitude in your writing. Do not be so serious about your blog. Ensure the quality must go hand in hand with lightness. Act as if you are speaking up to the whole world. Spice your blog up a bit. Argue. Make them react. Make them feel. Add emotions and not just plain writing.
Tip 4: Time bound
Old news could be pretty boring. Blend it with the new. Update it. Or better yet, revise it. It is in the nature of humanity to search for something relevant, acceptable, contributing and most of all. Current issues are always an eye catcher. So brush up those research skills.
Tip 5: Install
Yes you are a blogger. But that does not mean you are good at it. So even before your readers would boast how incapable your writing talents are, block it. Install an anti spam software and tools to filter those comments and keep them moderate. Comments may either be positive or negative. So make sure you accept the good ones and trash away the bad.
Tip 6: Stay Real
Do not go astray with your posts. A fundamental aspect of blogging is the contribution it would make for the media. Personal relations must be established. Maintain a constant conversation. A way to do this is by staying true to your every word. Put your heart and words on it. Swear on it. Nobody would believe a fraud. Create significant value that would result for your readers to keep coming back for more.
Tip 7: Respond
Respond to your comments. Do not let it go unnoticed. If your reader asks you a question, be ready to answer. Silence is not a benefit with this kind of industry. Be aware of what people think and note their reactions. If they do react, provide a satisfying answer. If criticisms arise, take it smoothly.
Tip 8: Advertise
If your blog goes unnoticed, it does not mean that it is useless. At least you get to satisfy your writing abilities. But if you still lack a reader attention, why not advertise your blog? All you need to do is go to other sites and post out a comment on their blogs and at the same time, invite them to visit yours. It is a give and take process.
Blogs are newfound journalistic mediums of an author freewill to publish. It is not just another brick on the wall. Definitely, it means something.
About the Author:
Francis Suggest Free Internet Marketingfor marketers who are looking for a new opportunity to start a profitable Home Based Business. You can get great Internet Marketing Tips, Internet Marketing Seminar offering Malaysian Entrepreneur to start their own Internet Business. Visit http://www.kanicen.com
Article Source:
29 Jan
MY PALAWAN WEEK-Day 2-Medical Mission
Our second day in Palawan was the Free Clinic Day for the Quezon children.
Alethea Ruth and Marc Earnest
And for the complete set of pictures,
27 Jan
MY PALAWAN WEEK- Arrival (14 January 2009)
Half the group walking towards the Tarmac
What a week! For the first time in my life, I traveled by (Cebu Pacific, about 4:30 PM) air. But of course, I was not alone; I went with my kin and church mates. Although I had no earlier apprehension whatsoever, the reality of possible mechanical trouble hit me as the stewardesses demonstrated the how-to’s of using the life jacket and the oxygen masks. I had a momentary bout of terror as I looked out the window and saw that we already soared above the first cloud layers, the landmarks still clearly visible below.
But all’s well that ends well. Besides the initial panic and the pain in the ear and headache as the plane soared and dipped, the ride was comparative to riding the rollercoaster as the plane rose, tilted and dipped. It was an hour-long trip, and the second 30-minutes was smooth as silk. My seatmate, Dinky, who initially was seated by the window (we exchanged seats halfway through) clicked away with Coni’s camera, capturing images from the plane’s window.
As the plane approached Puerto Princesa, and as I saw the roofs of houses on the city, I felt exhilaration upon the thought that Ruthie was just a few moments away.
Galvez Four, the Doc in gray & black
Touchdown: through the plane window, I scrutinized the Lounge door in the distance, trying to figure out whether Ruthie was gazing at us. I later learned that the Lounge is inaccessible to non-passengers. Then, as passengers alighted, we remained in our seats (to let all others rush out) and watched Doc Nanding, Ate, Bethel and Feric walk away from the plane while we remained seated. Ah, wait some more, Yute.
Marc with Mama Brenda
The place is a far call from the high tech NAIA terminal. We walked to the arrival area where we were supposed to wait for our luggage. I already caught a glimpse of Brenda outside the arrival area across the street carrying Marc. And saw Ruthie standing beside her. I waved, they saw me and Brenda waved back. I walked towards the far end of the area and they were a road-width away from me. We waved and waved to Ruthie, but the bashful kid just looked, ahh. Ate Belinda and Bethel exited immediately and hugged them while we remained for our bulk of belongings; we brought medical supplies and Aerol’s large Yamaha Keyboard for the Medical Mission and upcoming Concert at the church.
Bashful Ruthie
As we walked to where our van was waiting, I scooped Ruthie immediately and hugged and kissed her. I realized that she is really oh, so far away from her previous home, our home. But of course, Marc the baby bro is something else. He had grown fast and moves as quickly as boys his age.
Night had come unnoticed and we ate at a quaint Tree House-inspired resto. Of course, Ruthie ate beside Bethel & me. She was getting used to us, and started responding to our presence. Even showed her new wristwatch her mother bought for her. Ah, what joy this reunion bestowed upon me. Thank God I finally made it here. I’m sure we all felt the same.
We had a long land travel ahead of us, so we did not linger any longer. We travelled fast on the rugged roads of the land; and marveled at the strength and speed of our van. Often, we heard large rocks collide beneath us. But the driver seemed unperturbed and looked like a very seasoned chauffeur, so we all relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Of course, we prayed now and then. God delivered us. But we missed the terrain to the darkness of the night.
I got Ruthie on my lap, we bonded long enough until she fell asleep like Marc. Halfway through the journey, I had to give her to Ate Belinda as I grew very uncomfortable because I have been sitting on a fold-out seat with a low back support near the door. (The two kids have fallen asleep and never woke up until the next morning.)
To while away the time and length of journey, my young companions Dinky & JM counted the bridges as we passed by them. Counting only the bridges with (ton) capacity signage, we counted 60 of them, at the same time comparing one with the other as to the build, the design, and whatever else is peculiar with each.
We dropped seven of our companions to Sharon’s (Pastor Jezer’s sister) rented resort rooms about 100 meters away from where we will be staying-at Pastor Jezer’s house. It was a long journey but we managed to chat the night away till about 11 PM. After, a while I decided to take a shower. As I finished bathing, I learned that everyone had tucked themselves to sleep. So I did the same. Finding the very comfortable rattan sofa bed unoccupied, with kumot and unan (beddings) available, I stretched out, whispered a prayer and dozed off. Thank God. 
For the complete set of pics at Multiply: Click Here.
(All photos courtesy of Bethel Faye)
20 Dec
EBC SonBeams Sang Carols at SM City
16December2008: We serenaded the Food Court of SM City Taytay. For further reading, pls click the image. Photo courtesy of Miss Nadine Cruz.
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