Beat the fear of public speaking
Did you know that about 75% of people are afraid of public speaking?
Nevertheless, the ability to communicate information easily and naturally is essential in a social environment. From business presentations to social events, knowing how to speak effectively in front of others is a skill that can either take you to the top or bring you down if not mastered.
So, to ensure your success and avoid failure, let’s look at practical ways to combat this fear.
Be well-versed in your topic
The level of awareness of the topic of your speech will definitely affect your sense of confidence at this point. Therefore, you should thoroughly research the information, select the material, and deeply understand it. The better you can handle a given topic, the more opportunities you have to expand on it and the less chance you have of running into a dead end.
Get prepared with the plan
A small card with bullet points and short notes will guide and jog your memory to recall the next part of your presentation. Remember, however, that you don’t need to go into great detail in your outline as you will be tied to it and will try to recreate it literally. This can easily confuse you and throw you off track. Only focus on the key points and elaborate on them.
There is usually Q&A time after the performance. For your peace of mind, it’s a good idea to think about possible questions from the audience in advance. By preparing detailed answers to some potential questions, you will feel more confident and won’t be caught off guard. Obviously, you cannot predict all the questions, but with proper preparation, you will manage them effortlessly.
Pay special attention to the opening and ending
Your introduction sets the tone for your entire presentation. At this point, the audience is usually the most concentrated, so you need to get them interested at once and keep their attention for the rest of your speech. You can start by asking an intriguing question, offering to solve a riddle, citing a quote, or providing statistics related to your topic. This way, you will encourage your listeners to think and develop their curiosity about your further ideas.
The way you end your performance is equally important as these are the thoughts you leave the audience with and the ones they are most likely to remember best.
Gather a few mock listeners
Before speaking in front of a respectful audience, you definitely need to practice. But how to do it best?
It is known that other people’s presence increases our excitement, which will not be felt as much when practicing alone. Therefore, in order to fully experience the atmosphere of your upcoming event, it is necessary to create a similar environment. Ask people who will give you honest feedback to help you with this. By doing so, you will enhance the way of delivering your information and can get some hints on what else you need to improve. Additionally, you will have a chance to try how to establish a mental connection with the audience.
Record yourself
While you’re rehearsing your speeches, try recording your attempts on video. Seek to communicate your emotions, facial expressions, and gestures, even if you are doing it alone. In that case, imagine that the audience is watching you through the screen of your camera or phone. Reviewing your recordings later lets you see how you look and sound for others and correct any details you don’t like.
Refocus your mind right before your presentation
The few minutes before the start of your performance are the very moment when all your fears and worries start to take over your self-control. At this time, it is important not to suppress your emotions but to turn them into a kind of driving force that will give you enthusiasm and arousal for the duration of the speech. The thing is that anxiety is a very intense emotion that is extremely difficult to be managed quickly. Therefore, the only right decision is to channel it in a direction that is beneficial for you, namely, to switch from strong anxiousness to strong excitement.
Don’t be afraid to make eye contact
Avoiding direct eye contact may appear to be an effective method to overcome your fear of public speaking. In fact, it can make you even more nervous. For this reason, do not address your audience as a group of people since doing so dissipates your concentration by running your eyes around the room, trying not to catch someone’s look. Instead, focus your gaze and make eye contact with one person while expressing a single idea (this can be one to several sentences), then switch to somebody else. It will be much easier for you to have a series of one-on-one conversations than to talk to everyone at once. Besides, each person will feel that you are addressing them precisely.
Dale Carnegie, an American educator, writer, and motivational speaker, once said,
“Great speakers are not born, they’re trained.”
Remember that the more you expose yourself to an uncomfortable environment, the more comfortable you will become with it. Preparation and experience will do the trick. The former will enhance your confidence in your abilities as an excellent speaker who can deliver a clear and engaging speech. And the latter will help you dissolve your fear of public speaking and allow you to feel in your element in this environment.
And have you ever had to perform in front of a large audience? What pieces of advice from your own experience could you share with those who want to overcome such fear and master the art of public speaking?
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