Exercising and public speaking have a lot in common. Both become easier over time when you practice them regularly using the correct techniques. Everyone is capable of exercising and public speaking, although initially they may be a cause of pain for some people. The results of exercising and public speaking are worthwhile, but they’ll have more lasting positive effects and be more fun if you enjoy the experience.

Here are five tips about exercising that I’ve found can help you improve your speaking:

1. Focus on Your Goals.
You may have several goals when you exercise: to feel better, to be healthier, to look better, to lose weight or gain energy. You have to keep those goals in mind, especially on those cold winter mornings when you’d rather stay in your warm bed than go to the gym. With public speaking, your goal may be to educate, inform, persuade, inspire or entertain the audience and you have to focus on that goal when you’re preparing your presentation. It definitely helps to focus on that goal when your nerves kick in, you get cold feet and you’re thinking, “why did I say yes to giving this presentation?”

2. Thinking About it is NOT Enough – Do It!
Thinking about exercising is not the same as actually putting on your sneakers and sweats and going for a walk. Unless you actually exercise, you won’t see any benefit from it to your health and waistline.

The same is true with public speaking. Just thinking about public speaking is not the same as volunteering to speak at an upcoming meeting. And when you have a presentation to give, just thinking about you’re going to say is not enough – it’s not as effective as doing a dress rehearsal where you say the words out loud in as close to the actual setting as possible.

3. Make it a Habit.
Exercising once a month is not going to yield the results you want. In fact, it will probably leave you feeling very sore and less motivated to exercise again. Likewise, if you only speak once in a while, it’s hard to see improvement in your skills and abilities. And if you have a bad experience in one of those rare public speaking opportunities, it may be more difficult for you to stand up and speak again.

4. Get Feedback.
Feedback when you’re exercising can come in many forms. Most gyms have a mirror so you can check your yoga pose or ensure you’re using correct form when lifting weights. Or you may work out with a personal trainer to help you take your exercise to the next level and focus on your goals.

With public speaking, you can get feedback by asking a trusted friend to listen to your presentation, audiotaping or videotaping yourself and reviewing it, or working with a presentation skills coach. This feedback can help identify what you are doing that is effective so you can continue it, and also what you’re doing that interferes with your ability to communicate your message effectively to your audience.

5. Take it Slow.
You wouldn’t run a marathon the week after you start jogging for the first time; that would be a recipe for pain and injury. Likewise, it’s probably not a good idea to give a one-hour speech in front of five hundred executives as your first public speaking experience. Take it in small steps: first give a quick status update at a small team meeting, then stand and present for 10 minutes on your project results at a department meeting, etc. As you get more comfortable, you will gradually strengthen your public speaking muscle.

Exercising and public speaking have a lot in common. While they may seem painful at first, with continued practice and persistence, they become easier. And in the case of public speaking, you will become a more effective communicator.

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Gilda Bonanno is a speaker, trainer and coach who helps people from all walks of life improve their communication and presentation skills. Receive a FREE Special Report, “Six Mistakes to Avoid in Public Speaking, So Your Presentation Sparkles” by visiting http://gildabonanno.com/newsletter.aspx and entering your email address. You’ll also be subscribed to Gilda’s free twice-monthly e-newsletter containing practical tips you can use immediately to improve your communication and presentation skills.

Copyright (c) 2010

Do you watch Dancing with the Stars? One of the three judges is Bruno Tonioli. Usually, I have a problem with him. Particularly when he addresses the contestants. It is at that time that he will usually express himself in a manner such as “You need to work on your rhythm. You looked like Shrek lumbering about for your dinner!”

PU-LEASE! Is that type of comment necessary? I hope you will agree it is not. Perhaps, in the style of Simon Cowell, they hope to boost ratings. But let’s take a look at it from a public speaking standpoint.

Tonight, Bruno said to one of the worst dancers, “You were on, you were off, your were on… You had a section in the middle where you were with the music, but you need to work on that. Work on staying with the music.”

Don’t you think that is better than, “You look like a broken juke box! Skipping and jumping and not keeping the rhythm.”

As a presenter, you can learn two things from this. First, connect with your audience. Don’t alienate them. If you can connect with your audience, they are more likely to listen, to consider, and maybe to see it your way. That is true whether you are evaluating them, or whether your are presenting a new business proposal or donation request.

Second, learn from evaluations. Learn from others’ evaluations wherever you find them. And if you can’t find them, do them yourselves. Evaluate people. Do it in your head if necessary. Get used to noticing the things that you yourself need to work on. Maybe even by noticing mistakes in others, you will notice that you have the same problem which you didn’t notice before.

It is similar to when you purchase a new car. Before you bought that car, whatever make or model, you didn’t notice that particular car on the road. But once you bought it, you notice every one on the road. The same goes with any type of expertise. The more you watch for it, the more you notice it, the more easily you pick it up in the future. This can be used to your advantage. Look for good and bad presentation techniques in others and you will start to notice them in yourself.

By the way, there is a term for that sensitivity. I heard it on the radio last month. Do you know what it is?

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Michael Cortes is the Technology Coordinator at the Fort LeBoeuf School District, a presentation coach, speaker and “Life-long Learner.” Michael has taken a new look at life and examines each day for the lesson it contains.

Do you want to improve yourself? Michael can help you reach your goals. Do you want to be a better presenter? Need to add that little extra that allows you to rock your presentation, whether it be a sales proposal or report to the board of directors? Maybe you just need to polish yourself up in front of your constituency. There are many steps you can take to be more persuasive, more genuine, and create a better connection between you and your audience. By using more technique and less slides, Maybe you just need to polish yourself up in front of your constituency. There are many steps you can take to be more persuasive, more genuine, and create a better connection between you and your audience. By using more technique and less slides, Michael will help you create more power in your presentations.

You can visit Michael’s website at http://www.youcanpresent.com