I just returned from the Health Club Business Summit in Australia and New Zealand where I presented to over 100 health club owners. After the event, one of the attendees came up and congratulated me on a great presentation. He then mentioned that he’s glad he’s a gym owner because he could never get up in front of people because he’s too intimidated.
First of all, this gentleman is not alone in his fear of public speaking. Did you know that public speaking is the number one fear in the world? Dying is number seven on that list! This means at a funeral, most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.
Before I give you some strategies to overcome your fear of public speaking, first I want to tell you why presenting in public will benefit your gym.
First of all, public speaking is one of the best ways to market yourself on a budget. You don’t need money. All you need is yourself, an hour of your time, and a passion for fitness. I’m certain you have all three. Second, it is one of the fastest and best ways to position yourself as the local fitness expert. If you speak to a room of 20 people, all 20 people will leave that room feeling you’re the person to know when it comes to all things fitness. Third, it is a great way to build your lead list. Make sure you’re collecting contact information from everyone in attendance.
Here are some things you can do to overcome your fear of public speaking:
Practice with family and friends. If you can give a presentation to people you care about and have a relationship with, you can certainly give it to those you don’t.
Know the audience. Do your research to understand more about them and their peers. Before you present, spend time getting to know some people in the audience. Try to greet most of the people in attendance.
Become familiar with the room from which you will be speaking. Arrive early and spend time walking around and even standing where you will be speaking.
Practice your presentation many times on your own. Repetition is the key, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that within the first couple minutes of presenting, your knowledge of the subject will allow you to confidently make the presentation.
Breathe. When you start to feel anxious prior to presenting, focus on your breathing. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.
Visualize yourself speaking. At the presentation and even leading up to the presentation, picture yourself confidently walking to the front of the room, giving your presentation in a confident voice. Visualization becomes reality.
Realize that your audience isn’t there to rate your presentation. They are truly there to learn something from you. They’re not interested in rating you on a good or bad presentation. All they want is quality information on a topic of which you are an expert.
Don’t apologize for being nervous. Believe it or not, even when you feel your voice is shaky and you feel beads of sweat forming on your forehead, those in the audience may not be able to tell how nervous you are. Therefore, don’t apologize for something people may not notice. This may cause them to focus on your nervousness rather than the information you are presenting.
Remember that it’s all about the message. Forget that you’re speaking to a group, and instead focus on the information you’re providing. If you can talk to one person about fitness and nutrition, then you can talk to a group. It’s the same content, content with which you are already comfortable. Focus on the message and not the way in which you’re delivering it, and your presentation will be well received.
Repeat the presentation. Just like an athlete needs to practice over and over in order to get better, you too need to give presentations more often to overcome your fear of presenting. Your anxiety and nervousness will disappear the more presentations you give.
Be sure to seek out opportunities to present to groups in your community. You might be nervous at first, but by following the strategies above, you’ll overcome your nervousness very quickly.
Always remember that “the juice is worth the squeeze,” meaning even if public speaking makes you uncomfortable, the reward of new leads for your gym make it worth it!
Curtis Mock is the host of www.FitnessBusinessTelevision.com the TV show for fitness entrepreneurs. He is also the executive director of gymsuccess.com. Curtis can be reached at curtis@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
