One of the most common fears among people is getting up in front of an audience and having to speak publicly. This fear ranks right up there with the fear of death and in some people they are even more afraid of public speaking then death itself. No wonder people avoid this situation. Most people who have this fear experience anxiety which can range in degree and can prevent the speaker from communicating properly. Students with this fear often avoid taking classes where this is required. Job interviews can cause a person to have extreme anxiety while speaking with the interviewer, causing the prospective job applicant to lose the desired position. Business people often refuse higher positions if the promotion entails public speaking. Public speaking anxiety is no doubt a real issue for many people.
I’m sure you’ve heard someone tell another to “breathe” when they’ve been nervous. Well, this does actually help release tension and stress. When breathing slowly and deliberately, fear can be lessened by 15%, and avoid locking your knees or clenching your fist. That causes the anxiety to remain. Taking the time to learn proper breathing techniques along with relaxation techniques can prove to be time well spent.
Practice your speech beforehand. Plan what visual aids you will use such as videos or posters to help you to remember those parts of the speech and help move your thoughts and body to that area. Use familiar items that you feel comfortable with and practice using these aids. Practice moving while speaking as this can help you breath. Practicing your speech until you feel comfortable and confident in it helps to reduce anxiety. Practicing your speech can reduce anxiety by 75%.
Get comfortable at the location where your speech will be given. Go there early and walk around the stage, walk up to the microphone and visualize yourself giving the speech with great success. Imagine the audience applauding. When you feel comfortable in your surroundings and you can see yourself giving a great speech, this can help reduce public speaking anxiety.
While giving your speech, try to stay focused on the information you are relaying and not on your anxiety. This helps to ease the nervousness. When the mind is focused on the message you’re giving and the audience that is receiving it the mind cannot be focused on the feelings that accompany anxiety, thus reducing the fear.
People should remember when having to give a public speech that almost everyone gets nervous while doing this. If you apply these methods before and during your speech, public speaking anxiety can be overcome.
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