Page 300 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

different. Use unique words, examples, or anecdotes to suit particular audiences and situations. The choice of
words in spoken language also tends to differ from that in written language. Sentences in oral speech tend to
be simpler, shorter, and more conversational, including common words and contractions. In comparison, a
written manuscript may be more erudite and academic. The only way for speakers to develop this art is to
rehearse from a simple outline and not a manuscript. It is also essential to rehearse in front of real people who
will react and comment, rather than in front of inert settings such as mirrors, walls, or car windshields.

Never read or memorize! There are other good reasons for not rehearsing from a manuscript. The speech
tends eventually to become memorized and that can be deadly. Once a speech is memorized, speakers tend to
become more speech-centered than audience-centered. They tend to become more concerned about whether
they can remember each line exactly as it is written on the manuscript. Speakers become less concerned about
whether the audience is enjoying, learning, listening, and understanding. Another problem that arises from
manuscript speaking is that it is dull! Because the speaker’s facial expressions and vocal intonations are not
spontaneous, the monologue tends to sound memorized and can easily become boring to listeners.7,8,10–13

One of the least effective practices that presenters can do is to admit to an audience self-doubt: scared, ill
prepared, missing material, sick with a cold, or lack of confidence. The audience does not know what it may
be missing and is generally much less critical of speakers than speakers are of themselves. The speaker must
act confidently, even when he or she does not feel it internally. Speakers experience themselves in the situation
from the inside out. The audience experiences them from the outside in. This means that if asked whether
they are nervous or anxious, speakers should always answer “No!” Audience members see only the tip of the
iceberg when they observe the speaker. They usually do not feel the intensity of the speaker’s anxiety.
Audiences are commonly unaware of it unless it is brought to their attention through the speaker’s own
confession.12–14

The feelings commonly referred to as “stage fright” may date back to the dawn of the human race, when our
prehistoric ancestors had to survive by living in caves and sharing the food supply with other beasts. Faced by
a predator, our ancestors had a genuine use for a sudden jolt of energy, which gave them the power to do
battle or run (i.e., fight-or-flight response). The vestiges of this power, stemming from the secretions of the
adrenal gland, still manifest themselves today when people sense danger. Who hasn’t felt that ice block in the
stomach while being reprimanded by the boss or experienced sweaty palms and racing heart while walking
into a room full of strangers? Occasionally, one still reads newspaper accounts of a person exhibiting
superhuman strength under conditions of fear or danger, as in the father who lifts a car off his child who has
been pinned under the wheels. This is an example of the power that comes with the adrenaline jolt. When a
person is unable to fight, run, or in some other way utilize this surge, he or she may become overwhelmed by
the internal feelings themselves.

The best safeguard against stage fright is adequate preparation and rehearsal. The more one practices in
front of live people, the less nervousness one exhibits. Other ways of dealing with these feelings include being
active during the presentation and “acting” calm and confident. If presenters know they are going to be full of
extra energy because of their excess adrenaline secretions, they should address this in their planning. Energy
can be incorporated during the presentation by activities such as passing out materials, using a pointer, or any
other activity that involves motion. Motion is a release for tension and anxiety. It allows the audience to infer
enthusiasm from the speaker’s movement rather than fright, nervousness, or tension. It may not work for

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