Speech anxiety is a thing! On the bright side, you can trick or train your brain to defeat those self-defeating thoughts and get comfortable with the whole experience.
I recall the beginning of my 4th grade, I was super scared and hated delivering speeches or reading a poem in front of the entire class. I would get all sweaty and nervous. I would even screw up the easiest of lines knowing everyone is staring at me.
I always worried that I would mispronounce or that I was not making any sense. I was anxious about being judged and sounding impassive.
But as time went on, before I finished High School, with practice and self-learning, I discovered what it took to be a good speaker. From then on, every time I speak in front of a crowd, be it kids or colleagues or elders or any gathering for that matter, knowing what I had to do and how its going to turn out gave me great confidence.
Here are a few things to keep in mind to make you a good confident speaker.
Pump up the volume
When you are in front of a crowd, the last thing you want to be is inaudible. Be loud. Be clear. Unless people hear you, no heads are going to turn your way. Starting off loud and sharp sets a good impression on you and makes you sound important.
Pitch tight, Pace right
Make sure to align your pitch appropriately. No one likes a flat robot voice. Use intonations. The highs and lows in your pace will define the attitudes and emotions you want to convey.
And avoid over-speeding. If you make it even a bit hard for your audience to follow, you will lose their attention.
Be precise
Go by the old saying ‘less is more’. Avoid long sentences with same-sentence reference. Unlike reading, it is hard to follow such references while listening to someone speak.
Stick to smaller examples. Don’t vent out too many unnecessary details. Otherwise, the audience might get diverted from the actual topic.
No qualifiers
If you don’t ( or don’t sound like you) believe in what you are saying, you are not gaining your listeners’ trust and your content will seem worthless. Avoid qualifiers like “maybe”, “kinda” or “Think so”. Speak decisively without showing doubt.
Engage others
Ask questions and interact with the audience. Always throw him a question that is clear with the key information. Never ask a person in the crowd for a continuance nor throw in a plain question like “What do you think mam” or “Can you tell me a similar experience”. No guarantee that the guy in the front row, nodding his head is attentive (although we are trying to get there), we can’t spoil the experience for the rest of them who might actually be interested.
If you are concerned about picking someone, just throw in a quick poll asking people to give a ‘woohoo’ or raise their hand every now and then. This way, you can be sure that they are following
Let your body speak too
As you pour out words, let your body speak alongside. Move around a little bit if possible and use your hands to express. Make eye contact with as many as possible throughout the session.
Be your own judge
Last but not least, evaluate and assess yourself. Practise in front of a mirror or record yourself and see how you perform. Learn from your mistakes. Look out for ways to improve.
You’ll keep making progress, and progress fuels confidence, and that’s a double-win for strengthening your presence — John B. Ullmen
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