How To Overcome The Fear Of Public Speaking

Perhaps not everyone has had the chance to deliver a speech in front of a great audience however we can all imagine how nerve-wracking that can be. Speaking to a crowd is extremely intimidating. You start to sweat, your heart pounds in your chest at an alarming speed, you feel nauseous and you incessantly ask yourself why you are doing it.

I don’t know about you but the classic “imagine people naked” solution has never worked for me. And I have had plenty of opportunities to test that gimmick and many others and while I have been told I’m good at public speaking, I can’t say I’m 100% comfortable with it yet. But it’s getting better.

For this reason, I’m going to share with you some of the secrets I use in order to remain calm in front of people instead of dissolving into a blob of anxiety and incomprehensible gibberish.

Remember how easy it was when you were younger

As children, it’s a lot easier for us to speak up, regardless of the number of people involved. The reason is fairly simple; we feel the need to express ourselves and we don’t care about the imposed social restraints we come to learn later on in life.

We are not born with such restraints, therefore, we don’t put a halt to our thoughts. It is only when we grow up that we acquire the necessity to filter our words and worry about saying the wrong thing and while that constitutes an important step in becoming an adult, too many of us, it might become an impediment.

I believe the education system plays an important role in shaping us as potential public speakers. For instance, my school took pride in challenging students. In first grade, I had to sing in front of the entire school and since I was class rep, every Monday I was required to explain to my class our activities for that particular week.

But matters are different throughout the world. I remember years back reading an article in The Japan Times written by William Hollingworth who wrote about Japanese students and how reluctant they were to speak in class, especially if they had to do it in English.

He based his article on Jim King’s study — a linguistic expert at Leicester University — and they both agreed that the lack of interactivity during class was a result of the students’ cultural and social background.

In other words, in their society, speaking is not encouraged nor is sticking out from the crowd. Could you imagine how much more difficult it would be for a Japanese student to share their ideas in front of an audience?

I believe we’re alright as long as we borrow some of the clueless courage from our childhood.

Don’t hide how passionate you are about your topic

Ideally, you should be interested in the subject of your speech. Even if you’re not, it wouldn’t hurt to induce some passion. You need to keep in mind that once you stand up on that stage, you become a storyteller and the audience, your listeners.

Look at the crowd.

Be present.

During my university days, one of my professors told us that we should always look at our audience. Whether it’s giving a speech or a presentation, we were not allowed to show people how uncomfortable we felt in those circumstances.

Also, reading your entire speech was a colossal mistake. You could use slides or a binder with some basic information to glance at once in a while but exaggerating in that respect would make for a very boring speech.

And so, when out of 500 students I was selected to give a presentation at an international conference our university had organized, I was prepared. I knew exactly what I had to do.

Imagine my surprise (and later on, my disappointment) when one of the most important guests at the event broke all of my professor’s rules.

As he read his speech in the most monotone voice possible, I glanced around the room; people were checking their phones, reading articles, whispering to their colleagues and some even left.

Shamefully, I can’t remember anything he said. I only recall how disinterested people were. Yet, when my turn came and the general atmosphere was that of getting it over with, I stuck by my professor’s rules and magically, it seemed to work. I was simply too invested in my presentation to abandon it.

And so I came to the front of the stage. I looked people in the eye. I even gesticulated. And all of them responded. You see, if you truly address people, their instinct is to pay attention to you. That is the secret to surviving public speaking if not enjoying it.

Engage with your audience

This might probably be the most important step for reasons that are easily understandable. No one wants to speak in front of an unresponsive audience but changing the odds depends entirely on you, reticent speaker. People will show enthusiasm only if you show it to them first.

You have an audience that expects to learn something new and that is why you have to teach them. Keep them interested. Talk to them as if you really want to impress. Take a few steps to the right, don’t stay put; making use of your space ensures the minds of your listeners remain alert.

Another thing I like to do is ask a question. Sometimes it’s rhetorical while other times I’m actually expecting answers to it. And I do get them because I am aware of how beneficial it is to make people feel included. Moreover, this tip helps you take control of the situation and you feel more at ease knowing you’re the captain of your ship.

Keep it interactive

There are so many ways for you to achieve this. Imagination is all you need. And often, the willingness to think outside of the box, of course. It’s smart to keep it simple but not insipid.

Use colorful slides, music, props, tell a funny story with an amazing moral at the end. This contributes to sectioning your presentation into digestible parts.

You’d be surprised to see how much this helps to disarm the tension in the room and above all, you have the reassurance of a welcoming crowd. You become comfortable doing the most uncomfortable thing in the world: rendering yourself vulnerable in front of others.

Learn to enjoy hearing yourself speak

As narcissistic as it sounds, it will prove effective in the long-run.

One of the things I recommend you do is to record yourself speaking. You’ll see that you’ll learn a lot about yourself. In fact, you’ll start noticing things you haven’t had the chance to notice before, such as the intensity of your voice, your accent, your uncertainty.

Many of the thoughts and feelings you keep inside are translated into your tone and unless you learn to discipline yourself in that area, you will continue to lack confidence. Modulate your voice to the point where it sounds calm and genuine.

Don’t rush with your sentences and pause after stating an important fact — let words sink in. And if you really want to go a step forward, enrolling yourself into an enunciation class might be the perfect opportunity for you to improve and meet other speakers facing the same challenges as you.

However, if that is not an option, you can always practice alone at home or with your family. They are sure to be sincere and constructive about your shortcomings.

As soon as you become enamored with the way you talk, everything will be a lot easier.

All in all, we have to appreciate the opportunity; if there is freedom of speech then we should take it. We should take it and inspire others. No matter how insignificant the topic you choose to talk about is, you are the only one who can give it meaningful value. If such is the case, there is nothing to be afraid of.