Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking
Most people have some fear associated with public speaking. Some people
say they fear it more than death and spiders! A well-prepared speaker
can overcome their fears and learn to enjoy the experience of presenting
a speech in public.
Here are some tips to help you with your fears:
1. Make sure you have practiced your speech a number of times. Knowing
what you are going to say can help alleviate some of the nerves. You may
wish to practice in front of the mirror or in front of family and
friends to help with your anxiety. This will make you feel more
confident with your material.
2. Prepare palm cards with the main points of your speech written on
them. These will help you remember what you are going to say and keep
you focused.
3. Being nervous before giving a speech is natural. It gets the
adrenalin pumping and is nature’s way of preparing you for your speech.
It is a normal phenomenon for most public speakers. Harness that fear
and use it to your advantage.
4. Warm up before you speak. Your vocal chords need to be moving freely
when you start your speech. A good technique is ‘mooing’. It not only
warms the vocal chords but relaxes you as well. (You may wish to do this
in a private place otherwise people may think you are a bit odd!)
5. Deep breathing will also help calm your nerves. Inhale through your
nose and then slowly release the breath through your mouth. Think about
your breathing as a pressure valve and you are releasing it as you
exhale, expending all those nerves.
6. Try not to show your fear to the audience. They want you to do well.
If they know you are nervous that will make them become apprehensive and
worry about how you will perform.
7. Some people develop a ‘on stage’ persona – one that is perhaps more
outgoing and vibrant than their real one. This can help with fear, as
you will be stepping into a different character so you feel that it’s
not you up there fearing failure, but a different person.
8. Open your speech with an ‘icebreaker’. This can be an interesting
anecdote or a funny quote. This will get your audience laughing or
relaxed. It will help you relax too if their response is a positive one.
Above all, have confidence in yourself. Try and enjoy the experience and
what you have to say to your audience. If you appear relaxed and
confident with the information you are imparting, the audience will
enjoy your speech and you’ll be surprised by how good you feel during
your speech and even more so, once it’s over.