How To Overcome Fear of Public Speaking

The fear of speaking in public is shared by many people. So great is this fear that they will do almost anything to avoid giving a speech. Such is human nature that those same people usually think that this fear is not felt by experienced speakers. This is not so.



It is natural for all public speakers, however accomplished, to feel a frisson an fear before delivering a speech.. A good public speaker will channel that anxiety and use it as a friend. It can sharpen the mind provided that you do not let the fear of speaking in public dominate your thinking and paralyse your actions. Anyone can learn to harness that anxiety and make it work for you rather than against you.



There are a number of strategies that will help you to cope with anxiety.



Be well prepared and practice your speech



Think of the opposite to this. A failure to prepare thoroughly and then to rehearse will mean that anxiety increases in the knowledge that disaster is almost certain.. Advice on how to prepare your speech is detailed in some of my other articles.. You should begin preparation many weeks before delivering the speech. Be clear about the message you wish to convey, research your subject, write the speech out in full and practice, refine, practice, refine until you feel confident. It is that process which will reduce anxiety to manageable proportions.



Warm up first



This is done by singers and performers of all sorts. You are no different. Ensure that you arrive before you are due to speak then find a secluded space and read some text.. Deliver the text out loud with varying rates of speed and loudness.. This will clear your throat and let your voice settle to its natural pitch.. Make sure that your body is relaxed by doing some stretching exercises. If you are speaking at a dinner excuse yourself during the last courses and go for a walk in the car park. Deliver portions of your speech out loud to the inanimate objects around you.



Deep breathing



Take a deep breath through the nose, hold for 3 - 4 seconds than slowly exhale through the mouth. Repeat five times then take the breaths in through the mouth and out through the nose. As you exhale think that you are expelling the pressure from your body.



Prepare your introduction with great care



The first minute of your speech is in many respects the most important. It sets the tone for what is to come and also will settle your anxiety if you deliver it well. This can be with something humorous but I advise you to leave set piece jokes to professional comedians. It can be something personal or at least nothing to do with the main topic of your speech. It is worth collecting opening paragraphs that can be used on all occasions. The introduction must be delivered without looking at your notes. Special attention must be paid to the content and word rhythm of that introduction so that it will flow with ease and polish..



Focus on the meaning



In order not to worry about how you look and other extraneous factors concentrate of the meaning of the words that you are delivering. You have taken care to draft the text well so you know it will sound good when it is heard by your audience. If you concentrate just on the meaning of what you are saying you will not be anxious about your speech. Another way of considering this is that you will have worked hard on the content of your speech. If your message comes from the heart your support of it will be uppermost in your mind.. The importance of the message overcomes your anxiety about the reaction of your audience.



Develop a positive mental attitude



Think of yourself as a good public speaker. Do not allow self doubt to cloud your thinking. To be successful you must visualise yourself as a successful public speaker. Hold on to that vision and make it a reality.





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Tim Ross regularly speaks to groups both large and small on locations from the humble to the grand. The lessons in public speaking from these experiences are detailed in his blogs and articles.