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The average person rates the fear of public speaking above the fear of dying! It’s that nervous feeling, the sweaty palms, and stomach in knots. The truly not wanting to do it. The truly wanting to do anything else rather than speak to someone else. However speaking is inevitable, so whether you’re asking your boss for a raise or giving a formal presentation, in her one minute story on Wednesday night, Caroline from The Gravitas Method gave us her top three things that help you speak with confidence.

‘It's this moment isn't it. Your eyes looking expectantly, me looking back. 

It takes me back to the very first time, as I rookie teacher I stood in front of an expectant group of students. That moment. The silence. Aaargh! Your heart races and your voice tremors. 

So many people are so terrified of that moment, some more than they are of death.

And it can put us off public speaking. Yet, over the years, I've gone from being terrified of that expectant pause, to welcoming the rush of adrenalin. You see if you know how, you can take those butterflies and get them flying in formation. And the thing is, as I discovered when researching my second book, the ancient world knew far more about finding the confidence to speak than we do. The ancient Greeks and Romans trained their orators on the same field as their athletes. They understood that the body is as important as the mind when it comes to speaking well. 

These are three things that will help you speak with confidence:

1. Ground yourself "always carry yourself with authority" said Marcus Aurelius. Feel feet on floor and "dragons tail",

2. Your voice has power if you release and relax,

3. Pauses can be fun if you fill them with a relaxed breath. All you have to do in "the moment" is to look out at the audience, see them as old friends, breathe out, smile, breathe in and go! 

And above all remember that the best speakers are always the best listeners first.’

Thank you Caroline.