Do you have a fear of public speaking? You aren’t alone. Data shows that as much as 77% of the population experiences anxiety when having to speak in public.
If you have to deliver a lecture in front of your class or make a presentation at work, this could be a problem for you. You don’t want to feel nervous in these situations. It can make you lose focus or even go into panic mode.
The good news is that you can overcome your public speaking fear. There are public speaking tips you can use to build your confidence. Read on to learn 12 great public speaking tips.
1. Challenge Your Beliefs About Public Speaking
The first thing you must do to overcome your fear of public speaking is to challenge your beliefs. Your belief that you can’t prepare and deliver a quality speech can affect you.
Negative self-statements are bad. You can’t tell yourself, “I’m not a good speaker.” You also can’t tell yourself, “The audience will find my speech boring.”
These are irrational beliefs that you can’t have. Don’t let your thoughts become a reality. You must learn how to practice cognitive reframing.
This approach allows you to challenge negative statements and beliefs. You can then replace them with favorable and supportive statements. The goal is to teach yourself that public speaking is an event you can handle.
2. Learn How To Calm Your Body
Before you’re about to speak in public, you might start to sweat and shake. You might also experience other symptoms of speech anxiety. You can overcome these symptoms if you learn how to calm your body.
Relaxation techniques help to reduce physiological activity. One way to calm your body is by controlling your breathing. You must also learn how to lower your heart rate.
3. Focus on Communication, Not on Performance
It’s best if you learn to shift your focus from performance to communication. If you focus too much on being evaluated, you might experience anxiety. This can throw you off and even cause you to lose your train of thought.
Instead, focus on being of value to your audience. You must focus on your message. This shift can help you relieve some of your fear.
4. Prepare
One of the best things you can do to master public speaking is to prepare. The more you prepare, the less likely you’re to feel nervous.
You must know your material. Do your research and get all the facts straight before you plan to speak in public.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
Part of preparing for public speaking involves practice. You should practice and then practice some more. Practice in front of the people whom you’re comfortable with.
Practicing in front of your friends or family is a good idea. They can give you honest feedback.
You might also want to consider making a video of your presentation. You can watch it and see if you find any areas you can improve in.
6. Visualize Your Success
One of the best tips for public speaking involves visualizing success. Positive thoughts can go a long way. You need to picture yourself doing well.
7. Challenge Specific Worries
Is there a specific worry or issue you have about public speaking? If you’re afraid of something specific, you need to challenge it. List your worries and target each of them.
Let’s say you worry about forgetting a line. If this is the case, you can make index cards with notes. You can use these cards to look up lines you forgot.
8. Seek Out More Opportunities To Speak
If you need to speak in public a lot, you must get over your public speaking fear. One of the best ways to do this is by seeking out more opportunities to speak. The more experience you get, the more confidence you’re able to gain.
This is a great way to nip this fear. It’s based on the same principle as practicing public speaking. Find opportunities that allow you to express yourself better in public.
9. Don’t Fear a Moment of Silence
If you lose track when engaging in public speaking, your mind might start to go blank. The same thing can happen if you start to get nervous. Silence can set in.
It might feel like the silence goes on for an eternity. The silence may go on for a few seconds at the most.
Don’t take the silence as a bad thing. Your audience will not mind it. Use it as an opportunity to take deep breaths and to regroup yourself.
10. Use Tools To Reduce Audience Attention on You
Do you feel like your audience is staring a hole through you? This is an irrational thought that affects most people with public speaking fear.
If you feel this way, it’s a good idea to use a PowerPoint presentation. This can help take some of the audience away from you. You can also give the audience handouts so they can look at your main points while you speak.
11. Engage the Audience
It might help to engage the audience. If you feel like you’re starting to get nervous, you can ask the audience a question. This can give you a break to help you gather your composure.
12. Ask For Help, Get Support
To conquer public speaking fear, you need to ask for help. Sometimes, it’s best to get help to overcome this fear. There are support groups that help members build their speaking and leadership skills.
You might also want to consider taking a college speech course. Most community colleges offer this course. Students can take it to enhance their communication and presentation skills.
You can now use technology to help you become a better public speaker. There’s an app you can download to improve your verbal communication style.
Use These Public Speaking Tips To Overcome Your Fear
You no longer have to be afraid of public speaking. These are 12 public speaking tips you can use to help you build your confidence. You can now speak in public without experiencing issues.
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