The Wax Blog

Tips for Overcoming a Fear of Public Speaking

[caption id="attachment_5597" align="alignleft" width="150"]Marsha Friedman Marsha Friedman[/caption]

By Marsha Friedman

Recently, I was asked to be a panelist for a webinar about using the power of publicity to achieve your goals. The participants asked great questions. The first: “How do you step into the spotlight when you don’t like the spotlight?” Getting media attention and speaking engagements -- the spotlight -- goes right to the heart of my book, “Celebritize Yourself.” By boosting your visibility and your credibility, you set yourself apart from your competition and become a trusted authority in your field. Should you abandon that avenue if you don’t like the spotlight? Absolutely not. I was – and still am – that person. I had no desire to seek the spotlight, and even had trepidation about it, but eventually I realized I had to for the sake of my business.  First I had to figure out why I was so uncomfortable with the idea of being in the spotlight. The answer for me was simple: The thought of public speaking terrified me. I’d seen wonderful speakers, including my own brother, who could captivate huge audiences and have them hanging on every word. I knew I didn’t have that kind of talent so why bother even trying? Because, as I came to realize, I had to. I needed to do it in order to grow my business and, on a deeper level, I needed to do it for me! My fear was holding me back – an admission that became increasingly painful as time marched on. I talked to my brother about the problem. “It comes naturally to you and the other great speakers I’ve seen,” I told him. “But it doesn’t come naturally to me!” His response surprised me. “No, it doesn’t all come naturally,” he said. “I had to work at it.” For years, he spoke to small audiences at seminars. They proved an ideal training ground. He critiqued himself and got feedback from others so that he could constantly polish his delivery. So, first tip: Start small. Give yourself time to get used to the spotlight. Here are a few more tips for public speaking.

This program provides a framework for creating and sustaining an inspired work life combined with a pragmatic focus on business and financial goals. Julie Delene is the creator of the MOVES™ process, author of Moved To Create, and founder of Move As One,...

By Drew Hudson,  Grovo.com This is the first in a series of three blog posts from Drew. Great social media tricks and tips even for the more experienced social media communicators!  Of all the ways to promote your business, social media for many is by far the most nebulous. On top of trying to decide what social platforms to market your company on how can you tell whether your campaigns are successful?  At Grovo, an online learning platform that trains people on leading cloud apps, social media tools and Internet trends, we put together the top 10 tips that will help make your social efforts not only more manageable but also more streamlined.

1. Track the Performance of your Tweets

There are many ways to advertise your business, this way has 140 character restrictions. Twitter helps your business build an audience, broadcast your message and send followers to your site. Tracking your tweets' performance allows you to see how popular your tweets are over time, as well as get information about the people who follow you. To track tweet performance, go to ads.twitter.com and log in. The following video will give you a better understanding of using Twitter’s Analytics, to dive into your Timeline activity, followers influence, good and bad tweets, and more. 2. Host Your Tumblr Blog on Your Own Site A blog for a company can be an invaluable way to connect to your audience, learn about who they are, and start two-way conversations that humanize your brand. While it's easy to start a blog, there are tricks and tips that will help you optimize that blog for your business, drive SEO efforts, create shareable content that highlights your expertise and establish a voice for your company.When you set up a Tumblr blog, you are automatically assigned a Tumblr URL where your blog is hosted. If you'd prefer, you can host your Tumblr blog on a custom domain that you've purchased previously. On the Tumblr settings page, select the blog whose domain you wish to change and check off "Use a custom domain name." Below, type the URL for the domain where you want to host your Tumblr blog. Click "Test your domain" to verify that your settings are correct. Note that you will need to adjust the settings of your hosting provider before your blog appears on the site. Click "Save" below to preserve your changes. Note that this process may take a few days to complete. 3. Promote a Page Post with Facebook Ads