Overcoming Your Fear
of Public Speaking
1 Realise the source.
The source of your fear is this: not knowing what will
happen when you are in front of people, giving your speech or presentation.
Your fear is not that you don't know your topic. It is that you don't know what
will happen when you step to the podium or table.
The fear of being judged, making a mistake, not measuring
up, getting hurt either mentally or physically can get in the way of a good
performance (speech, seminar, sales presentation, etc). Remember that people in
the audience really want you to succeed. Nobody is standing there hoping you'll
be boring or bad. If you are coming from an authentic place, and you cover the
material with clarity, you've won 3/4 of your inner battle with fear.
2 Face Down Your
Fears.
If you feel your knees turning to jelly out of fear, remind
yourself that fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Almost certainly,
whatever it is that you're frightened of won't happen. If there is a real
worry, for example you've forgotten an important prop, do something about it
and then stop worrying. Remember, you can always rationalise yourself out of
fear.
3 Breathe Deeply.
Practicing a breathing exercise before you go on will relax
your body and mind. Here's one that you can do anywhere, even in the wings.
Stand still and feel the ground beneath your feet. Close your eyes and imagine
yourself suspended from the ceiling by a thin thread.
Just listen to your breathing and tell yourself there is no
rush. Slow your breathing until you can count to 6 seconds of in-breath and 6
seconds of out-breath. You'll now go on in a totally relaxed and confident
mood.
4 Relax.
Relaxing is the art of letting go. There are many ways to
let go. You can imagine you're made of rubber . Or you can sit in front of a
mirror and make a horse's laugh with your lips. Why not lie on the ground and
pretend you're floating? Or, just collapse on the ground like a limp doll.
Letting go un-tenses the body and makes you more at ease and relaxed.
5 Learn how to engage
your audience.
Learning the art of public speaking can enhance your results
in a boardroom, in a sales presentation, and even accelerate your climb up the
corporate ladder. It is a must-skill for any executive and/or business owner.
6 Make use of the
wall push.
The wall push was a technique used by Yul Brynner, star of
the musical "The King and I". This is what you do. Stand about
18" away from a wall and place your palms flat on it. Push against the
wall. As you push, your abdominal muscles will contract. As you breath out,
hiss and contract the muscles below your rib cage as if you were rowing a boat
against the current. Do this a few times, and you'll banish all feelings of
stage-fright.
7 Recognise
That people can't see your nervousness. When you're walking
out onto the stage toward the podium, no one knows you're nervous. Your stomach
could be in knots and you feel like you're going to be sick, but you really
aren't showing nervous behaviour.
Sometimes, with public speaking, you think that people may
notice you're nervous. This makes you even more nervous. There are only a few
subtle cues that show a person is nervous and they're so small, that the
ordinary person wouldn't put more than 1 second into them. Don't worry so much.
People don't see that extreme nervous beast inside you.
Bluff. Stand tall, with shoulders back and chest out. Smile.
Even though you don’t feel happy or confident, do it anyway. You will look
confident and your body will fool your brain into thinking it is confident.
8 Flight/Fight
Know that adrenaline sends the blood rushing to the
fight/flight centres of your brain at the base of the skull.
Place your hand on your forehead and press gently on the
bony points. This will bring the blood to the parts of the brain that need it
to present your speech best.
9 Practice.
Find business organisations, networks and clubs in your area
(such as Toastmasters) that can afford you the opportunity to practice.
Remember to choose topics that you are already an expert on. Speaking on a
topic that you are not familiar with will increase your stress, and impede on
your performance.
10 Record yourself on your smart phone software, or record on your laptop.
Review it to see where you can improve. Have speaking pros attend your live
presentation to give you feedback. Allow yourself the opportunity to learn more
every time you go out.
11 Prepare.
Make sure you know the material that you're going to cover.
Make a detailed outline, and break it into basic points to memorise.
