Speaker Success Solution – Chapter 1: list of symptomes in the blocking state
If you speak in front of an audience it might cause you a restless feeling. In the Speaker Success Solution I mention freeze, flight or fight modus as a physical reasons to the restless feeling. They are easily to recognise for yourself and for the audience.
Freezing symptoms appear by
- stumbling on words
- shallow fast breathing or holding breath
- soft voice
- cold hands
- sweaty hands
- locked knees, so your legs are overstretched and feel and look stiff.
- clinging on to the lectern
- avoiding eye contact
- speaker notes at all times, reading instead of speaking to the audience
- reading out loud PowerPoints
- hands in pockets
Flight symptoms appear by
- speaking fast, difficult to hear the whole sentence.
- high breathing in the chest
- high voice
- cold hands
- lots’ of movement with arms
- walking restless ( or others might say ‘over energetic’)
- hands in pockets when a question comes from the audience
- speaker notes often viewed
- laughing about their own jokes
- no sense of what is going on in the audience
- brief eye contact
Fight symptoms appear by
- not finishing of sentences, starting a new sentence before the first one has ended
- speaking in a staccato mode
- high fast breathing in the upper chest/ throat
- loud voice most of the time
- warm sweaty hands
- bold movements at inappropriate times
- attacking questions from the audience (attack is the best defence)
- talking about other people negatively
- blaming shaming
- sweat on the head
- predator eye contact to a few people in the audience, avoiding others