Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

How to overcome the fear of public speaking and tips on public speaking.

Speaking in public is something that many people fear of doing. Most don't find it difficult to speak one to one or at a gathering with their friends and family members. But if they are required to stand up or go on stage to say something to a group or just a few people that they hardly know, they can get very nervous and jittery. Some will not make it at all.

The challenge is when you have to do it, whether you like it or not. You can give an excuse, maybe once, and people will accept. But do it too often and people would know that you are too scared to talk and have no confidence. What's worst is if your fear of public speaking is the reason or cause of losing an opportunity for career advancement.

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy." - Jerry Seinfeld

Public Speaking Tips

Here's how to speak up with confidence and overcome your nervousness and fear of public speaking.

Be mentally prepared.

Before making any preparation for your presentation, you must first believe that you can do it. And if it's difficult for you to accept that, what you can do is visualize and rehearse it over and over again in your mind. Begin the end in mind by playing images of you giving an outstanding speech, getting nods and approvals and making a positive impact to your listeners. Repeat this mental exercise over and over again. It is important that you avoid thinking or picturing what you don't what to happen or experience before, during and after your speech.

Do your homework.

Unless you are called up unexpectedly, you usually would know what you have to or are required to talk about. And you usually would have ample time to gather the necessary information on that particular subject. Gather as much as you can from books, the internet, forums and discussion boards. While doing this, anticipate the questions that your audience might ask and prepare the necessary answers. Gather all these and plan your draft.

Read out loud and watch yourself.

Once you have your draft ready, read it out loud to yourself. Standing in front of the mirror would help. It is also helpful if you could get someone to listen, offer opinions, ask questions and make suggestions. Some of the things that you should look at while practicing the delivery of your speech are things like:

Do people understand your message or what you are trying to say? Think of whether you need to rephrase.
If you are using bombastic words, ask yourself if you can you choose simpler and easier to understand phrases and sentences?
What kind of facial expressions and gestures will match what you are saying to get your audience's attention? Try to notice your pitch, tone of voice and nonverbal gestures.
Tell a story when you begin and if you can say a joke, do so. You and your audience will feel more at ease.
Look directly at yourself in the mirror and pretend that you are making eye contact with your audience.

Model successful motivational and public speakers.

One of the easiest ways to learn is to emulate people who are already good at what they are doing. Watch other people speak live in public or watch a recording. Observe their gestures and delivery. If you know someone personally, ask him for tips on how to overcome the fear of public speaking.

Expect positive outcomes.

Since you have already visualized and prepared yourself mentally, done your homework and practice in front of the mirror or with a friend, you are ready to go. Expect positive outcomes just like how you have been seeing in your mind. Whenever you catch yourself talking negatively and saying things like you can't do it, stop them right away and replace that negativity with positive affirmations. Tell yourself that you choose to allow yourself to become confident and believe in yourself.

Just do it.

One of the surest ways to fight your fear of public speaking or any kind of fears is to just do what you fear. You are already equipped, so why not forge ahead. The more times you speak in public, the better you become. Your first and even second speech might not sound outstanding. You might even have to refer to your notes and feel your knees shaking. But with adequate preparation, a belief in yourself and your abilities, and actually doing it, you will become better and better.

Give yourself a pep talk.

Lastly, if you are up there and find yourself feeling nervous, what you can do is give yourself a pep talk. Even Caruso the Italian tenor did that each time before he performed on stage. Say positive things to yourself.

There are people who advice that you imagine your audience as children or something like that. It is better that you imagine them as your good friends. How would you talk to your friends? How do you feel and what would you do if you are with the people that you care about and are trying to give them some useful information. Having this kind of thoughts in mind is one of the ways to overcome your fear of public speaking and should help you talk with ease.