The fear of public speaking is more universal than you think. Symptoms such as sweaty palms and your heart pounding so hard you swear others can hear it, are shared by millions of others who fear public speaking. There are some steps you can take to help yourself get past speaking in front of a crowd and do so with ease.
Practicing speaking in front of the public takes time and effort, but once you become more adept at doing so, you will speak confidently and effortlessly. Even speaking in front of a group of friends will allow you to hone your public speaking skills and become more professional every time you do.
Always prepare yourself. Most public speaking venues will allow you to speak from notes. Make sure your notes are organized and typed or written large enough for you to read them. Keep on point and don’t wander from the topic at hand. Focus on three key talking points and become familiar with what you are going to say, even though you have the notes in front of you. If you are not able to use notes, memorize the content of your speech until you are confident enough to appear without fear.
Give yourself a break. Don’t expect to be perfect the first time around. Remember, practice really does make perfect. The listener doesn’t know what your speech says or what your notes are. Stuttering or skipping over parts of the notes is a natural mistake. So is speaking too quickly or too softly. That’s why you need to practice.
Relax and have a backup plan. The audience will accept that you are nervous and will forgive you, especially if they know you are new at this. If you mind goes blank, take a deep breath and begin the backup plan. Telling a joke or acknowledging your nervousness will endear you to the audience.
Getting your mind in the right place is helpful in alleviating fears about public speaking. Meditate or envision yourself at the podium, speaking confidently and having a good time. Mind exercises or crossword puzzles will help get your mind off the anxiety of public speaking.
Ask for feedback. When you are finished, make sure there is a system in place to judge what the audience feed back is. Handing out confidential forms with five key questions will help you evaluate what areas you need to work on and where you excel. If the group is small and friendly, ask for their opinion afterwards.
Engage the audience. This is another way to alleviate your fear of public speaking. Involving them in the discussion is a good way to create a positive environment and help you succeed in getting your message across. Be careful to not get off track, however, as a natural give and take may occur.
Critique yourself. When you are finished, jot down some notes to read later. Removing yourself from the moment will allow you to review your public speaking skills objectively and address observations where you feel you could have done differently.
When all is said and done, you are in control of what is presented, and if you haven’t performed as well as you wanted, don’t worry about it. The audience will not know you left a point out or omitted a paragraph written in your speech. Becoming comfortable with public speaking takes time and effort, but before you know it, you will be a pro. You might actually even begin to look forward to public speaking.
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