Professor Janek Tuttar has long been skeptical of the 1973 study that seemed to show that people were more afraid of public speaking than death. So, for his master’s thesis in 2013, he gathered a total of 504 participants and conducted a survey to discover their biggest fears. Tutta’s hypothesis was that death would be ranked as the #1 fear, but to his surprise, public speaking earned that title instead.
If you’re one of the lucky few who feel comfortable in the spotlight, you might feel excited about the opportunity to speak in front of a curious audience at a conference. However, even if you usually prefer to stay offstage, you might find that being a speaker at a conference is well worth the temporary feelings of anxiety.
Benefits of Speaking at Conferences
Whether you’re a brand-new entrepreneur or you’ve been a CEO for decades, you can experience a range of benefits when you decide to begin speaking at events. Giving a public presentation will allow you to:
- Increase brand awareness.
- Establish your personal credibility.
- Connect with your target audience and answer questions.
- Receive immediate feedback.
- Network with influential speakers and industry experts.
- Share your speaking engagement on social media to reach more viewers.
- Improve your presentation skills.
- Earn financial perks (according to Harvard Business Review, even newbie speakers might be able to earn $500 to $2,500 for a speech!).
Public Speaking Tips
The most common problem that new speakers face is finding strategies to combat their stage fright. People worry that they’ll “freeze” onstage, forget an important part of the speech, accidentally do something embarrassing, or make some other mistake. To reduce your anxiety about public speaking, consider these tips from author and communication expert David Greenberg:
- Let go of perfectionism, and accept that it’s OK to be nervous.
- Engage your audience to transform a monologue into a more conversational speech.
- Practice some simple breathing exercises.
- Be sure to rehearse your speech out loud.
- Limit your caffeine intake.
Wagento’s next event is Meet Magento Mexico in November 2020! If you’re interested in speaking, please contact our Partners Manager Madeleine Anderson at [email protected]
