Did you know most people's greatest fear is public speaking? Each of us speaks everyday. It may not be to thousands of people on a stage, but we all speak every day. Why are we so afraid to speak when others are sitting in silence watching us? Here are some tips below that should help you get over your fear of public speaking.
1. Practice, practice, practice! This one for me has been the biggest way to overcome my fear of public speaking. The more you do public speaking, the easier it becomes. Not saying you might not still get nervous from time to time, but the best way to get over your fear of public speaking is to take it on head first.
2. Prepare for your speech. The more practice you do, the easier it will be to "wing it". Until you get over the fear of public speaking, I suggest not waiting until the last minute. Write out your speech and read through it out loud a couple of times. The reason I say to read it out loud is that we sometimes write differently than we speak. When you read what you want to say out loud it might sound different and you can then decide to make your changes while you are practicing instead of your live run. You may also want to read your speech in front of a couple of family members or friends.
3. Be confident in your body language. This has helped me mentally get over my fear of public speaking many times. If I am confident in my body language, my mind follows and it makes it easier to speak publicly without being nervous. A few ways to be confident in your body language is to stand up straight with your shoulders back, don't forget to smile, and chin up while looking out to the audience.
4. Avoid making direct eye contact with individuals in the crowd. I get distracted very easily. I have noticed when I am making a lot of direct eye contact with people in the crowd; I can get distracted and lose my train of thought. This tip can work especially when you are first starting out in public speaking. Look out into the crowd, but look left to right while speaking.
5. Move around on the stage when you speak. You won't always have the freedom to roam the stage when speaking, but if you can then do it! When you move around on the stage, you get more comfortable with your surroundings and your nervousness goes away. This will also help to keep the crowd engaged and entertained instead of starring at someone standing idle.
6. Calm your nerves before speaking publicly. About 5-10 minutes before I start speaking to a crowd I will start slow deep breathing exercises. This helps calm your heart rate down and deliver more oxygen to your brain. This will help you focus on your topic you want to speak about and calm your nerves.
7. Don't drink caffeine within 30 minutes of your speech. I am a coffee and red bull addict, but one thing I have learned is to avoid it before I do some public speaking. Most people want to be alert and awake for their speech. This is good, but trying to get more alert right before you speak in public can be a disaster. Caffeine mixed with someone's fear of public speaking can make it hard to get through a speech. Instead make sure to get plenty of rest the night before.
8. Start small at first and then push outside your comfort zone. The only real way you can get over your fear of public speaking is to push yourself out of your normal comfort zone. Some people like to dive in head first into the deep end, but if that isn't for you I have another tip. Start doing public speak in front of one or two people. Once you get comfortable doing this, expand your comfort zone by speaking in front of 5-6 people. From there you can get more comfortable speaking in front of 10,25, 50, and then eventually 100 people. The trick is to keep pushing your comfort zone. Eventually you will be comfortable speaking in front of any amount of people.
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