With the experience that comes from doing a lot of public speaking, professional politicians, company leaders or those who regularly speak in public for any reason usually look extremely calm, cool and confident when facing the crowd in the room or on radio and TV. They may have butterflies careening back and forth inside, but we can't see them.

      What protects them from that debilitating fear that prevents others from even dreaming of facing the critical crowd?

      One of our biggest fears when we think about getting up to speak is that the audience, small or large, will be evaluating us and looking for ways to prove us wrong. We worry that they're seeking ways to verify we're incompetent, that we don't deserve to be standing in front of them. We fear that our opinions are worthless, they'll think we don't know what we're talking about. We tell ourselves we have a lot of nerve thinking we're someone to be admired or respected. In other words, we're just not good enough, smart enough or successful enough to expect to be taken seriously by anyone.

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      Recently, I heard three people give a 5-minute presentation to a roomful of potential clients. They were a financial advisor, a business consultant, and a mortgage broker. Each had a different area of expertise, a different style of speaking, and each spoke directly to the audience, with good eye contact, an easy-to-listen-to voice and a friendly manner.Yet they all made one common mistake that could easily have been avoided.      

      They tried to say too much in too short a time.

      It's an easy trap to fall into, especially when you're 'on the clock', and you have so much good stuff to share with the audience. You really want them to know all the benefits of working with you. You need them to appreciate your years of experience and knowledge, and to understand that you really are the expert they need. Unfortunately, five minutes isn't long enough to give all the information you want them to have. Or is it?

      It's not what you say, but how you say it.

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