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