Ronnie Nijmeh of ACQYR.com interviewed Thomas Moss, the Public Speaking Coach. Thomas’ philosophy is to help people excel in their communication and public speaking. He offers workshops, seminars, and coaching to help you speak with confidence.

Interview with Thomas Moss, Public Speaking Coach

Q:  Thomas, how did you get started in media relations and presentation coaching?

A: I started as a journalist, branched into sales and then, after more than 20 years in public relations, decided I wanted to focus on sharing some of the things I’d learned.  I developed a series of workshops to help business people improve their communications skills, ranging from their 30-second infomercial to handling media interviews.  One of my greatest satisfactions is seeing people come to the realization that, “Yes, I can do this . . . I really can!”

Q:  You’ve been a media relations expert for many years now.  What’s  the most common error people make in dealing with media?

A: Too often people either tense up when the media calls or they mistakenly think they’re finally getting their 15 minutes of fame.  Of course neither is the case.

It’s important to just relax, have a good time, enjoy the conversation, answer questions as directly as you can and provide a few colourful quotes the reporter is likely to use to liven up the article.  However, there is one thing you want to bear in mind at all times: a reporter can use everything you say in an interview.  So here’s a good rule of thumb: Never say anything to a reporter that you don’t want to read in the papers or hear on radio or TV.

Q:  I know you do a lot of seminars on public speaking.  What are the  most common road blocks you encounter with your clients that prevent  them from speaking with confidence?

A: Self-consciousness.  No contest.  Self-consciousness is the Number 1 encumbrance to effective public speaking.  And that’s just the opposite of the way it needs to be.  When you’re sharing information in front of a group your focus needs to be on the people you’re talking to and the message you’re sharing with them.  It’s not about you at all, not about how you sound, how you’re dressed, what you look like . . . it’s about them!!  It’s all about them.

If you’re providing something of value and you’re thinking about your audience and their needs, you’re fulfilling your mandate and most people in the audience will be grateful for your efforts.  You don’t have to be great.  All you have to do is provide value and they’ll forgive and forget everything else about you.

Q:  Why is fear such a large factor in public speaking?  What are people really afraid of?

A: They’re afraid of themselves.  They’re afraid they’re going to embarrass themselves.  They’re afraid that other people are going to see every single thing they’ve ever felt insecure about.  And you know what?  That’s not likely to happen.  They probably won’t see any of those things unless we show them, unless we draw their attention to them.

Let me give you an example.  I can’t count the number of times, when someone has completed a presentation in one of my workshops, they’ve said “Oh, I was shaking like a leaf!” and someone else in the audience has responded, “You’re kidding!  You didn’t look nervous at all!”   The only person in the room who recognized the fear was the speaker and until the speaker chose to reveal those feelings no one else was aware of them.  Your audience only needs to know what you want them to know.  And the only thing they’re interested in is the value your message has for them; the more you care about your message the more they will focus on it, not you.  You’re just the vessel that delivers the value.

Q:  What are your favorite practical tips to get over fear of public speaking?

A: Well, I can sum up my entire program in one word: Relax.  That’s the most important tip of all and everything else flows from it.

The second most important thing is to have something to say that has value for your audience.  And that requires you to know your audience well enough to know what matters to them and to care enough to structure your presentation in such a way that audience members will take an immediate interest and remain interested throughout.

The third is to understand that, in most cases they want to like you. They’re not there to criticize; they’re there to learn, to derive some value from what you have to say.  They want to like you, and they will like you unless you give them reason not to.  And one of the best ways to win your audience is to talk about what matters to them instead of what matters to you.  Once you understand that and you’re willing to work with your audience just about everything else is a detail.

Q:  What’s your public speaking coaching philosophy?

A: My philosophy is that you will only be truly comfortable speaking to groups when you fully understand and begin to gain some control over your fear.  And I believe that most people who want to do that can do so successfully.

One way to do that is to analyze the source of the fear and to put it into its proper perspective.  Often, the fear is related to some of our earliest experiences with groups, particularly if that early experience involved negative outcomes.  I’ve had several clients who have discovered that some ancient memory was all that stood between them and the speaking confidence that had always eluded them.

Q:  How can people reach you about your coaching, seminars, or public  speaking?

A: Please feel free to visit my website: www.mossassociates.com or via email: info@mossassociates.com or by phone: 905-926-6677