Top 10 Tips to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking – Episode 471

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It’s been said that for many, fear of public speaking is a fear worse than death. However, in today’s business environment, chances are you will be required to give reports or presentations to colleagues or clients. Or, you may be asked to give a toast, or speak at a wedding or funeral. As with all fears, fear of public speaking is learned, and what is learned can be unlearned. Nobody is born a good public speaker. The good news is that you can learn to overcome the fear response and speak comfortably and effectively. In this episode, Ted gives the top 10 tips for overcoming the fear of public speaking. Even if you can speak in public but want to do better and feel more comfortable, check out the helpful information in this episode.

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Nobody is born a good public speaker. As with all fears, fear of public speaking is learned, and what is learned can be unlearned. When someone says, “I have a fear of public speaking because I’m not a good speaker” all they are really saying is “I haven’t developed the skills to be an effective speaker.” Becoming comfortable in front of a group is a skill you can learn.

In today’s business environment, you will almost certainly be required to give reports or presentations to colleagues or clients. If so, consider learning to speak in public as a necessary part of your personal and professional development. You might also be called upon to speak at weddings or funerals. It doesn’t feel good to have to say “I can’t”.

Many people who once suffered from fear of public speaking  have gone on to become very good speakers.

Here are some other things to remember:

  •  You don’t have to be a master orator in order to be effective. You just need to be yourself. Don’t try to be or think of yourself as a “public speaker”.
  • The audience is on your side, wanting you to succeed.
  • You don’t need to memorize a lot of information. That’s what notes and handouts are for. It’s even easier to a presentation over Zoom with the help of screen sharing to share visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations.
  • It’s ok to feel a little nervous, that’s natural.

Nervousness is not the problem. The problem for most people is the fight or flight response (sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, inability to think clearly) when asked to speak to a group.

In additions, many suffer from anticipatory anxiety which is falling into the “What If Pit”:

  • What if they don’t like me
  • What if I really screw up
  • What if I embarrass myself
  • What if they see I’m nervous

The good news is that you can learn to overcome the fear response and speak comfortably and effectively and it doesn’t have to be  stressful.

Of course, there are different levels of fear of public speaking. At one end of the spectrum, you might be challenged by social anxiety disorder to the point where even talking to someone one can be anxiety provoking. That’s a problem of a different magnitude; I’ve covered social anxiety in past podcasts and will probably revisit that soon.

Most people that come to me for hypnotherapy don’t have this challenge, they just want to feel more comfortable giving professional presentations such as in a business networking situation, giving short speeches and maybe giving an occasional toast or saying a few words at a funeral.

Tips for dealing with fear of public speaking

  • Preparation is the key to success. Have an outline for what you are going to say. Put your notes on 3×5 index cards that are numbered in order. Know if you are going to be standing up or sitting down, at a podium, or on a stage. If you are going to use any kind of tech like a computer or PowerPoint, you really need to test that and make sure that wherever you are going to speak can accommodate your tech. Have a back up plan if your tech doesn’t perform the way you want it to.
  • Do a little mental preparation before you speak. Psyche yourself up, see yourself doing great, give yourself some positive suggestions using positive affirmations. Challenge your negative self-talk. It doesn’t help to say things like “I just know I’m going to screw this up.” or “I have so much fear of public speaking!”. Be realistic in your expectations and show this in your language to yourself: “I can do this, it’s only ten minutes.”  or “This is a great opportunity to show my stuff.”
  • Practice relaxation techniques: Deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation can help calm your nerves before and during your presentation.
  • Practice, practice, practice. Practice saying the words out loud, not just in your mind. Practice in front of someone you trust who can give you some feedback. This is one of the best ways to deal with fear of public speaking. Record yourself to see what vocal tics you might want to work with. Practice in front of a mirror.
  • Focus on your body. Stand up straight, shoulders back. You know how it’s hard to feel depressed when you are smiling? What you do with your body will impact how your brain works. Feel your feet on the floor. Center and ground yourself before you speak by focusing on your abdomen and taking a deep breath. Also, practice making eye contact. The best practice is to look into different people’s faces but if that’s too hard for you, what can be helpful is looking slightly over the tops of the heads of the audience and focusing on the back of the room.
  • Don’t be boring. The worst sin you can commit as a speaker is making people wish they were somewhere else. Humor is good.  People want to laugh, and when they do, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable. Just use common sense to avoid offending your audience with jokes that are off color or politically volatile unless of course you are preaching to the choir, so to speak, and your speech is intended to be political.
  • Shift your perspective: Instead of focusing on your own anxiety, focus on connecting with your audience and sharing valuable information. Try to craft your message to your audience so that what you tell them has some impact on them. Think about making a contribution to your audience.
  • Make sure you eat something. Diet and your level of anxiety are intimately related. Don’t go in front of a group on an empty stomach or over-caffeinated. Low blood sugar can trigger anxiety.
  • Join a speaking group such as Toastmasters. These groups exist specifically for people to practice public speaking in a safe and supportive environment. There are chapters everywhere so click on the link and check it out. In addition, there’s a lot of instructional material out there including books, DVDs and audio programs that can be very helpful.
  • Get professional coaching or hypnotherapy. If you haven’t done a lot of speaking in public or, if you’ve had bad experiences in the past, then speaking in front of people is an unknown to your subconscious mind or it represents danger to your subconscious mind. The idea is to make the unknowns known so that your mind feels more familiar and comfortable with what you want to do. Hypnotherapy is an excellent way to get that subconscious mind on board and working for you. I help people let go of the anxiety and  fear of public speaking that keeps them from getting ahead personally and professionally

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Watch Ted in Your Head on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tedamoreno

Ted helps people let go of the anxiety and the fear of public speaking that keeps them from getting ahead personally and professionally.

Reach out and request a complimentary consultation by going to https://tedmoreno.com/contact. He’ll get back to you within 48 hours to schedule a conversation to see what working together can do to support you in speaking more effectively, powerfully and enjoyably.

Here’s a quote by Mark Twain:

“There are two kinds of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”

Thanks for being here!

Ted