Why Do I Freeze Up When Talking?

Okay so I know my stuff, I have it all in my head on what benefits I can offer a prospective client. I'm not afraid to walk up and start talking with them either, however, when it's actually time to talk, I freeze up. A friend was with me today, and informed me afterwards that I was stuttering, I didn't even realize I was stuttering. In fact I thought I was doing fine, I knew I was nervous and a bit unprepared, but I thought I pulled it together, although I was wrong.
So my question is, are there any good books that anyone can recommend? I really need to fix this with myself, but just don't know where to start.

I had this problem as well. The only way to overcome it, is by continuously doing it. You'll get better and more natural overtime. Don't waste your time on books or courses on how to speak...just read a few tips but thats it. Its like learning how to ride a bike; you can read and read and read and read but in the end, the only way you're going to learn how to ride the bike is by actually doing it!

President Kenedy practiced his speeches in front of a mirror before delivering them. I was SGA president during my highschool time so speaking came easy to me and I can promise you that what makes it easier is.

1. As said earlier you need to pitch often and for me it is not like pitching in my mind it is like I got something really good to share that will help out a client. Program yourself to believe that and it might ease the nerves.

2. Chance favors the prepared man/Woman: No dont go crazy with prep because you will have so much crap and scenarios in your head nothing comes out like it should but as you are doing pitches regularly try to fine tune them and better prepare with answers and bulletpoints that you hear brought up often by clients.

No books just talk. Same thing I would say if you were singing on stage it will get better and at a point you will laugh at the fact it ever was an issue.

Video yourself giving your sales presentation...
go thru it all..
act like the customer asked a question and answer it....

then sit down and see it...

analyze what you did wrong..
and practice it...

last but not least... go see a doctor..
make sure you are just getting butterflies and not real anxiety....

Good Luck...

Try and relax, pretend you're talking to your mates about pot or women...

Prepare a week in advance, work at it every day, be totally confident.

mudbutt said:

I had this problem as well. The only way to overcome it, is by continuously doing it.

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Exactly! . . . That's how you do it.

"Wiz"

I'm not going to suggest a book to you about public speaking, but this book WILL help you become a better speaker if you adopt the strategies:

"The Power of Now"

Basically, it gives you tips on how to focus on the present moment. As you get better at it, your mental state will improve: you'll have better concentration, focus, and confidence. Those things will help you immensely in your public speaking and in life.

I can talk your head off. I recently found that some people vibrate at higher vibatrations and cause me to stutter when I am talking to them. With these people speakiing from the heart allows you to communicate with them with no stutters. You almost have to be passionate about what you are trying to sell these people. The desire for money through mechanical thought is offensive to some people !!!!

just don't think so much and never prepare yourself before an appointment .. i mean know you're main points .. 1. talk about abc .. 2. ask about cde ... but never pitch to yourself before any appointment ... you will make it subconciously scripted .. and when you miss certain points you will get lost and then every thing topples ... just go with the flow .. sales is all about going with the flow ... and yes .. practice makes perfect .. never let 1 failed meeting stop you from going for the next

Visualization. I used it when I first started with Toastmasters (public speaking)
and it did wonders for me. Try to picture as much detail as you can. See yourself
speaking confidently. See the person you're talking to responding positively towards you. See yourself closing the deal. Do this over and over again. Sounds simple, but it really works. I have done over 200 speeches and several workshops. Your mind doesn't distinguish between your imagination and actual experience.

Watch The King's Speech.

I'd like to add a few thoughts.

Perhaps I should just start by saying that I've been giving sales presentations for around 20 years - so I've had lots of practice! Have I always found it easy? Absolutely not. But there are a few things that you can do to help yourself.

Firstly - know your stuff. The worst presentations I've ever given have been when I've switched jobs and haven't familiarised myself properly with the new service I'm supposed to be selling. But you say you know your stuff so let's move onto point 2.

Secondly - don't be afraid of silence.

When you're going through your pitch don't rush. Breathe. Allow for natural pauses. It will also allow your prospect to get a word in edgeways to ask questions that occur to them as you go along. Too many people fall into the trap of thinking they have to fill every space with a sound - even if that's an um or an er. Wrong. I'm not talking long pauses here - just a deep breath and time to think of what you're going to say next. Collect your thoughts and carry on. If you lose your train of thought there are some techniques you can use to buy time e.g. ask your prospect if they have any questions/thoughts/comments on what you've covered so far. Oftentimes that will be enough to remind you of what you were going to say. You can digress - momentarily - tell a story (oh yes - that reminds me of.....). Then all you have to say is 'oh yes, where were we?' and make a joke of it. Laughter will get you a long way.

Thirdly - there is nothing wrong with having a crib sheet with you. Most professional sales people take a presenter with them - you know, the flip-book where they show you slides (paper ones!) of all the things their company does. What do you think that's for? Most of the time by the time you're on your 10th presentation you're not looking at it - but it's there to remind you of what you were going to talk about - and in the right order.

You can do one for yourself - use Powerpoint - or if you don't have access to a laptop to present with then do a print off and use that.

Fourthly - and finally - there is nothing wrong with saying 'I don't know' to something - AS LONG as it is followed by 'I'll find out and get back to you on that'. As long as you're not afraid to say that then it takes away the fear of the presentation because you won't worry about what people are going to ask.

I'd like to point you in the direction of a book - but really there is no substitute for DOING. And practicing (in front of the mirror or on friends) will NOT replicate the nerves you feel when doing it for real.

The solution?

Make yourself a presentation.
Practice it.
Do it to as many prospects as you can get in front of.
Speak slower than you would normally (not like you think they're an idiot - just to give yourself some thinking space).
Leave space for interaction.
Keep doing it.
Never give up.
Oh - and did I say - keep doing it!

Good luck.

I don't think books will help you with the problem more then experience, keep doing that and you will that in no time you won't freeze any more and that everything would be fine. I don't think that is the kind of a problem that books can fix.

Why not look into joining a group like Toastmasters to give you some practice in front of people... just about every city in every country has a Toastmasters meeting someplace close-by. You get to speak at every meeting and get tips on how to present more effectively.