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:
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
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.
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.
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.

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