Public Speaking – It’s Child’s Play!
Posted by Maryann in Self Esteem and Confidence, Success, tags: fear of public speaking, overcoming fear, public speaking anxiety
Public speaking tends to freak a lot of us out and I am certainly no exception. The thought of having to get up in front of an audience to make a speech is enough for me to be paralized by fear. The fear of public speaking can cause enormous stress to some individuals and since they are completely overcome by fear at the time it becomes difficult to focus on the speech and its delivery.
Fear of public speaking is quite common, however if you can break it down and approach it like you would do an everyday conversation this may help. Of course it is easier said than done when you look up and 500 people are looking back at you!
Paralized by Fear
For me personally when I reach the podium and turn the microphone on from that point on I see not much more than a black canvas in front of me. I can feel the sensation welling up inside my throat knowing that I must soon speak. Like many of us I am a perfectionist, and put considerable emphasis on delivering the perfect speech. In a way that is a double edged sword for someone with a fear of public speaking in that it is the very thing that causes the fear in the first instance, and secondly it is the very thing that the audience is looking for!
When making a speech I tend to experience all the thoughts like “what if people hate my speech and begin leaving”, what if I simply cannot speak in a fluent manner, what if something goes wrong with my slide presentation and I have to wing it?
Focus is the Key
All of these feelings cause enormous anxiety making it very difficult to deliver an effective and memorable speech. Perhaps the key is to try to actually focus on sharing your knowledge with the audience, after all that’s what they came for! Forget if you can, about flawlessly delivering your speech but rather, focus on the value the audience can actually get from the content delivery. Forget about impressing them but focus on delivering to them the information you know they want to gain. Perhaps this focus, will help you to overcome your fear of public speaking.
Communicate the topic effectively to your audience so you can see by their faces that they are receiving the information they came for. In focusing to this degree, the nervous or anxious feelings tend to be held at bay.
Preparation
Therefore always study your subject matter thoroughly beforehand so you feel confident when it comes time to deliver this information. Practise and refine your speaking, pausing at the correct moments and speaking slowly and effectively. Ensure your presentation materials are prepared correctly so as to aid you in delivering your address in an effective manner.
Visualize yourself already speaking in public
Lastly as Im sure many of my readers know by now, I am a great believer in the art of meditation and visualization. Meditate an hour or so prior to delivery of your speech and visualize yourself speaking in front of the audience. See yourself speaking clearly and with confidence to your audience. Think about how you are feeling when you do this, do you feel good about yourself? Are you feeling relaxed about it?
These are my thoughts on how to overcome your fear of public speaking, from a fellow sufferer. I have practised what I preach and can say that over time my fear of public speaking has reduced somewhat and continues to do so if I follow my own advice.
By Maryann Roche
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