Do you hate presenting in front of groups of people? Do you get nervous and start sweating before a big work proposal? Well, don’t sweat it (literally!) Check out these 7 ways to combat your fear of public speaking and change your perspective about your next speech.
1. Breathe Properly
Breathing in without breathing out causes hyperventilation and worsens anxiety. Just before your speech take five minutes and breathe in to the count of seven and out to the count of eleven (quick count-not seconds!). When you exhale, hold it a second before breathing in again. This will produce quick and lasting calm. Remember extending the out breath calms you down.
2. Make it a Team Effort
You have a responsibility as the presenter but relax, you don’t carry all the responsibility. Presenting is a team effort. Audiences are responsible for politeness, extending their attention and attempting to learn. Ask lots of questions and remember to use open ended questions to engage your audiences. It’s not all you-it’s a meeting of two halves. Never mind how they judge you. How do you judge them?
3. Copy From The Best
Watch and learn from other great speakers who inspire you. Good examples are Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins because of their energy, humor and humility when speaking in public. Try this technique and you are sure to always feel inspired and motivated that you can conquer any fear in public speaking and become a more confident and effective public speaker.
4. Engage Your Audience
Captivate attention by using words that evoke all the senses. Describe how things look, sound, feel, smell and taste. Paint pictures and sensations in their minds with your words. Vary your voice tonality and speed of delivery. Keep them alert and engaged. Convey energy when need be and slow down when you need to ‘draw them in close.’ You are the conductor to their orchestra. And pepper your talk with humour. Your willingness to be funny shows personal confidence and confidence is contagious.
5. Focus on the Value of the Speech
Who is it that you think that crowd came to see? They came to hear your speech. Focus on what they came to hear, sell your sizzle, and stop worrying about what they may think of you personally.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
It sounds cliché, but the old saying of “practice makes perfect” is especially true when it comes to speaking in public. Before speaking in front of a large audience, start by practicing in front of a mirror. Once the initially “silliness” is overcome, try practicing in front of your best friend or a small group of close friends and family. Having a friendly crowd who is supportive of the speaker will definitely help in boosting self confidence.
7. Visualize Success
Rehearse positively. You need to rehearse how your going to feel as well as what you are going to present. Don’t think about your presentation with nervous feelings as this creates an instinctive association between fear and presenting. Picture and visualize yourself giving a successful speech like “I will make a great speech that will influence and better the lives of my listeners.”. This produces the right ‘blueprint’ in your mind. In fact when you do this enough times it actually becomes hard to be nervous!
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