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How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking




The fear of public speaking is a very common thing for people to deal with. It can be a big deal for those with anxiety and those who do not have anxiety issues. The anxiety of public speaking is one of the most common fears that people are afraid of but not many people know what it is that can be done to help overcome those fears.

The fear of public speaking is known as Glossophobia which also has connections to social phobia. It is the fear of being judged which can be triggered by all the people focusing their attention on you while speaking in front of a crowd. When you have doubts of your ability to speak effectively while knowing that people will be paying attention to you, it can create a level of fear that can be terrible for some.

Unfortunately no speech is perfect. Even if you did a great job you will keep dwelling on the mistakes you made and this will help reinforce your fears.

There is the thought that the lifestyle of today has been making the fear of public speaking worse than it has been before. This thought comes from the idea that more people are spending less time out in the public which reduces the amount of time generally talking in front of people. People can become somewhat anonymous when they spend more time online and the skills of being around people can diminish.

With the ability to send emails and the ease of talking on the phone from anywhere you do not have to think about people looking at you and making judgments which can lead to less experience in public speaking as we move into the future.

Your age or experience has no bearing – the lifestyle we live today gives us less personal interaction with other people which in the long run can only lead to more people developing anxiety towards public speaking.

So How Do We Reduce Anxiety towards Public Speaking

It is normal for someone to become anxious before making a speech regardless how good or outgoing they are, that’s human nature. When trying to overcome your anxiety do not expect to become completely anxiety free, it just will not happen. You can get to the point that you can channel that anxiety to give you the ability to give a great speech, not hold you back.

When you are overwhelmed by the fear of public speaking you need help. It is not always easy to overcome this anxiety quickly because we tend to focus on the mistakes and you can convince yourself that you are justified to be fearful.

There are some that get public speaking anxiety just talking with their friends. Anxiety such as that may be related to social anxiety which may take more effort to overcome. In this situation we are talking about being able to speak in front of a group of people in a more formal situation. It could be making a speech or giving a presentation in a meeting either way you will have to deal with your anxiety.

You need to learn some strategies and practices to help overcome your fear of speaking. An important first step for anyone giving a speech or presentation is practicing it. You need to practice for a number of reasons. One is to remember your speech and to be comfortable giving it. It will be more instinctual when you give it. You become more familiar with it so if you get off track it is easier to get back on. Even better is to practice in front of someone because it can help you with your anxiety knowing you are being watched and working your way through it.

Prepare well for your speech do not stop practicing because you feel you know it well. When you reach the point that you are getting sick and tired of it then do you think about stopping. Even then you should go over it again at least three more times. What you are trying to do is go beyond just knowing it well. You want to reach the point that you know it very well, that is the point you are ready to go.

The next step for you is work on getting used to the fears you have about public speaking. This step is done only after you have thoroughly practiced. Now you will use visualization to help get ready. Picture the crowed of people you may be facing. See them as angry and imagine what those angry faces will make you feel like if it was for real. Will it bring on the anxiety you fear?

Visualizing this scenario you should feel some anxiety. Your heart rate may be elevated and your fear level should go up. When your anxiety level gets up there try deep breathing and try to relax. Think about how those angry faces really do like your speech and the angry faces are because they are being overwhelmed by how good it is. Continue trying to calm yourself but keep on with your speech.

One great way to overcome your fear of public speaking is to overcome the idea of being embarrassed. If you can overcome being embarrassed you will be on your way to overcoming some of those fears you have of public speaking and are closer to being cured.

One way to overcome embarrassment is to go outside your comfort zone. Do something in public for example that you would never otherwise do. Whatever it is you chose, do it long enough or enough times that you are used to it and no longer embarrassed. You reach a point that it no longer bothers you and it is not a big deal, in fact you may have fun doing this.

The day of you speech there are some things you can do to prepare your mind. First is to get a good night’s sleep before hand. It may be difficult for some to sleep worrying about the speech

You want to do what you can to calm your mind and relax. Drink plenty of water as being even a little dehydrated can contribute to your anxiety. You can do something physical such as running to help relieve some of your tension.

Have everything you need prepared and ready in advance so you are not scrambling at the last minute to get ready. You can go over your speech one more time and try some of the visualization techniques.

The less anxiety you have this day the better your speech will come across. The buildup of waiting for speech time can wreak havoc on some people, so doing what you can to avoid the pre-speech anxiety can benefit you. Do not worry about everyone else; remind yourself that you have prepared and whatever happens you will get better.

When you begin to make your speech there are some things that you can do to reduce your anxiety. One is to start off strong by using a loud voice. Do not worry about being too loud, it will come across just fine. Some people start off slow with the idea of easing into the speech, starting strong is best for you.

Do not look at anyone in the room. Let your gaze drift around the room while not really focusing on anyone’s face. Remember the angry face visualization to help you here.

If you stumble do not worry about it. Never expect a speech to go perfect, in fact those watching you may not even notice. Well known speakers had troubles stumbling through their speeches; they learned to just keep on going like nothing happened. If you lose your place figure out where you left off and continue.

After you get into the speech there is not much you can do but finish it. When you are done act like you did a great job and worry about any mistakes you made another time. Congratulations you did it, now applaud yourself. Keep in mind that the more speeches you give the easier it is and the better you will get.

You can get past your fear of public speaking if you try the above methods. If you suffer from anxiety on a regular basis then these methods can work to help alleviate that also. Having anxiety problems can accumulate over time to the point that it can cause problems out in the public also. Do what you can to help yourself; there are programs available to allow you to get over your fears on your own.