• By Disha
• Posted July 20, 2017

How to overcome your fear of public speaking.

Hearing the words “public speaking” petrifies many people. The thought of speaking in front of people evokes fear in most people, so much so, it is an actual phobia!

Your heart rate rises and you almost start sweating when you stand before people to speak. Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. No one is born perfect and cannot speak perfectly all the time, and stepping up to the podium not only positions you as an expert but builds your confidence as well.

Here are 5 steps to overcome your fear of public speaking:-

• Prepare- “Practice makes a man perfect” is one of the most famous proverbs, which means you sometimes need to practice and become perfect. Rehearse several times before you speak, present your speech according to the time and people’s interest. Nothing can help you ease your public speaking more than knowing your material. Always have backup material in case you have time left. Your ability to connect with the audience comes from how much confidence you have while delivering your speech.

• Reduce your stress- Before you get on stage or start speaking in public, a terrifying moment is when and how you present yourself. Prepare some good tactics, and visualise a positive outcome of your speech. Deep belly breathing can help you to reduce your stress level and will help build more confidence. Listen to your breathing and think there is no rush around you; you will go in a relaxed and confident state of mind.

• Do not over think the audience’s reaction- When you are speaking in public- calm your mind, don’t over think people’s reaction, comments, and expressions. Ignore audience’s facial expressions and focus on your speaking. What they are thinking and saying should not matter to you. Focus on yourself while speaking and if any mistakes happen, try to fix them as soon as you can. Boring expressions, yawning, and negative facial expressions are common. Looking at such gestures will only distract you from your goal and leave you less confident.

• Learn to control your focus- People get anxious and they tend to turn their focus on their anxiety. Turn your focus on other things when you feel anxious. Train your focus muscles and focus on your audience and your speech. Try to get the most attention and interest out of people.

• Avoid reading word to word: It is obvious that before your speech, you will write it for your practice and preparation. But avoid reading word to word from your script. There’s a lot of difference between reading and speaking. Dry reading disseminates information. While you speak it- creates an impact with your content and personality. Avoid reading excessively from your script to keep the message intact and impactful.

Speak boldly and with intellect. Never hush your voice for someone’s comfort. Speak your mind and never be apologetic about it.