11 Important Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking is universal. You are not the only person who is facing this problem; about 85% people in the world feel nerves when it comes to address public. This one concern prevents many people from reaching their goals. People who have this fear can experience accelerated heartbeat, memory loss and even difficulty in breathing. You must know that most experienced speakers, has some anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people. If you want to move ahead of your colleagues, then you must become a good orator. So, first thing you need to do is getting rid of the fear of public speaking. Here I tried to provide you some tips to over come the fear of public speaking.

 Tip-1: You need to know exactly what you are going to talk about. Prior to writing the speech/presentation collect ideas, stories, and interesting facts. A good public speech must have an introduction, explanation and conclusion. Choose your main points and build your content by keeping your audience in mind. Avoid bullets, use PowerPoint and take the approach of using visuals that quickly convey your message.

Tip-2: Practice your speech or presentation and revise it until you can present it with ease. You can get connected with your audience only when you are confident; confidence comes only when you are familiar with the material. While practicing, answer the question “what’s in it for me?” for both you and the audience. Use this answer to guide you in your preparation or rehearsal.

Tip-3: Try to become familiar with the place in which you speak. Arrive early and walk around the room including the speaking area. Greet some of the audience as they arrive and chat with them, it is easy to speak to a group of friends than a group of strangers.

Tip-4: If you follow the first three tips, your anxiety and fear of public speaking should be greatly reduced. You may still get last minute jitters. To overcome this, take a long breath and hold it for 5 seconds and slowly exhale. This will eventually settle the nerves.

Tip-5: You have to realize that the audience is usually on your side; they always want your speech should be interesting, informative and entertaining. They all want you to succeed-not fail. Before you give your speech, think of them as caring, friendly people who want to hear your speech. It is jut like talking to your friends.

Tip-6: Always make your speech a two-way interaction with questions and participation to reduce boredom and speak with ease.

Tip-7: Learn how to handle question and answer session. You may decide to take questions as you go or at the end of your presentation. Whatever you decide, make it clear at the start and don’t change your mind. I would suggest questions at the end in a short presentation; if you take questions as you go, then your timing will get knocked out. And always remember, an audience won’t forgive you for taking half an hour when you were only scheduled to speak for fifteen minutes.

Tip-8: When you were asked a question, listen and look like you are listening. It may be something you’ve heard a million times before. Treat the questioner with respect and don’t trivialize their point. Thank the questioner – It’s only polite, it shows respect and it gives you a bit more time to consider your answer.

Tip-9: Speakers are not expected to be infinitely wise; therefore, allow yourself the comfort of saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get the answer to you,” when you’re stumped. It makes a better impression than attempting to fool your listeners (they’ll know you’re being deceptive), and your honesty will be respected.

Tip-10: If you forget a word or a phrase during your speech, never apologize and keep speaking as though nothing happened. Unless the audience has a detailed transcript of your speech, they won’t know what you forgot. Don’t let the fear of forgetting something in your speech keep you from giving great speeches.

Tip-11: Ask for feedback from people you respect and who can give you quality; supportive feedbacks that will empower you to want apply the feedback in your next speech. Before your speech, tell the person you ask to give you feedback what your public speaking goals are and what you are working to improve.

Realize that each time you speak is an opportunity to improve your speaking ability. Look at your public speaking skills as a muscle. The more you exercise your public speaking muscle, the stronger it becomes and you will improve your speaking abilities. Now, go out and exercise your public speaking muscle to give outstanding presentations. When you apply the seven secrets to overcoming your fear of public speaking, you will realize more opportunities and gain a new level of confidence.

                                                                                                                                                      Image Courtsey: www.socialcareconsultants.co.uk

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