Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

During recent studies, over 40 percent of those studied claimed to have a fear of public speaking. Whether it is in front of 10 people or a stadium full, the fear of public speaking seems to affect nearly everyone at one point or another. Even the most professional of public speakers can become nervous before an important speech. In this section we will cover some tips on overcoming fear of public speaking.
First, it is very important to understand that when an individual is, in fact, nervous up in front of their audience, the audience hardly ever sees their nervousness…at first.
This assumption that everyone can tell YOU are nervous is absolutely not true in most cases.
The signals that a person is nervous before a speech are hardly recognizable and it is important to remember that.
Confidence is key in any speech as it allows the public speaker to have complete control over their presentation and, ultimately, their audience.
One major way to get over the uneasiness before a speech for many public speakers is absolute preparation. Maybe even a little extra practice.
How important is the presentation to you? Should you practice before family and friends?
It is very important to be as prepared as you can before the presentation.
When you feel prepared, including knowing what types of gestures you will use and more, a certain level of confidence takes over once you get “settled in” with the audience.
Before many public speakers’ presentations, especially during the first days of the speeches, imaginations can run rampant if allowed to.
This is one problem a lot of individuals have just before a speech.
Many people are afraid something terrible is going to happen during their speech in front of all those people. Like what?
Ever noticed how relieved you are when the speech is over and you walk off?
Have you ever thought about what your thoughts following that sense of relief was?
In many cases, the next thought after “whew! I did it! It’s over!!” is “oh but I could have done the last part a little better.”
You are suddenly back in control! The only problem now is that the speech is already over and done with.
See how much confidence you had following the speech?
Overcoming the fears, usually in our own imaginations, of public speaking is very achievable. It just takes a lot of practice and discipline in order to keep the thoughts that draw us away from our own confidence and potential out of our heads completely so that we can focus on the important task at hand.
And that is connecting with our audience and relaying our message with confidence and passion.