Auot-import test

Manchester United had drawn their opening two games of the season, after a summer of excitement and talk of retaining our title, before making their trip to the Council House to play City. Dr Death had allowed Sven-Goran Eriksson to splash out in the transfer market and the bitters were talking up the game for the whole week before. For the first time in years, they actually felt they could win before kick off.

City proceeded to get absolutely battered. We had 14 shots to their 7, 60% of the possession to their 40%, and essentially, played them off the park. However, we could do nothing to counteract the deflected Geovanni goal from the first half. Wayne Rooney had got injured in the first half of our opening game against Reading and Louis Saha was obviously suffering with a knee injury. That left new signing Carlos Tevez as our only striker. He had been brought in to the fold too soon, after going a month without any football due to the transfer saga which swallowed up his summer. The Copa America and had long since finished before Tevez was pulling on his United shirt to face Portsmouth, required to fit in straight away to plug the gap of the injured Rooney. He was miles off the pace.

After looking second rate, struggling to keep up with the pace of the fast moving derby game, a perfect opportunity arose for him to redeem himself. In the last minute of the game, Ryan Giggs delivered a corner which flashed across the face of goal, falling to Tevez, who surely just needed to make straight on contact and it would have left the net bulging. No direction was needed, just let it hit you, and it will go in. Somehow though, as United fans jumped for joy, Tevez missed. The jeers from the City fans came as we returned to our seats. How did he miss?

LONGER TEST

sk what's the worst that can happen? That simple question can diffuse so many life problems it isn't funny, and it certainly applies here. What if your hands shake? What if you screw up? What if you're so nervous you pass out? Or your pitch is so bad that you don't get the funding for your project? First of all, none of that is going to happen; it almost never does. It's all in your head.

The point is you're not going to die or lose your loved ones. You'll always have another chance; there will always be other opportunities to shine. Don't think of your speech or presentation as an event; think of it as part of the process of life. Fear is part of it. Have courage and faith, you'll get through it.

Last word:
If you have the means, or your company will pay for it, hire a speech coach. Most top executives have been coached along the way. Coaching helped my anxiety and certainly improved my presentation skills. A good coach can teach you relaxation techniques and ways to control your breathing.

The absolutely worst thing you can do is ignore your fear and shy away from speaking publicly. Reducing your fear and anxiety is all about reducing your isolation and boosting your confidence. The only way to do that is to understand it, work at it, and get out there and speak.

Steve Tobak is managing partner of Invisor Consulting LLC. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET.

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