The fear of public speaking is as common to man as the sun is as common during the day and do not fear, almost everyone goes through the same process day in and day out, but just to be sure, here are some ten important steps to overcome the fear of public speaking.
Stage fright itself is a common factor affecting almost every public speaker, especially when going through the process for the first few times.
Eventually as time goes by and several speeches later, the fear and stage fright just comes to pass like the smoke in the wind.
#1 Nobody is perfect, thus it is but normal for anyone to entertain a feeling of fear, so accept fear and allow it to pass, since it is very important to understand that fear will just go away as long as you understand how it affects you and how you can formulate steps to conquer it.
#2 Focus on images and thoughts that will help you relax and develop a positive mental attitude.
#3 You can also do this by trying to calm yourself and gain a firm foothold of any situation by using deep and gentle breathing exercises to help you gain composure.
#4 Use positive biofeedback by telling yourself that you can overcome fear and that you can take control of the situation, using supportive and self-encouraging pep talk can help boost self –morale and esteem, making you more confident about dealing with the anxiety of the situation or your fear.
#5 Never always ever lose track of reality, this will help you gauge how well you are adapting to any situation that you are in.
#6 Dwell on your strengths and make it the driving force that will push you to try out anything new and to conquer your fears.
#7 Take things one at a time, do not take on situations too seriously or you could lose focus and lose track of what helps you draw your strength towards achieving your desired goals and believe it or not, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a key factor that can help you develop that sense of reality.
#8 Always be prepared ahead of time, since cramming is one of the contributing factors that can even help foster fear from within, although there are those who believe that cramming does carry some benefits, but in truth, the disadvantages of cramming far outweigh its advantages.
#9 Always harbor and develop a good sense of self esteem, even if sometimes you do not feel confident about yourself. Self –esteem is the key to influencing others so make it a point to always have a high degree of self –esteem to help you overcome your fears.
#10 When standing in front of a crowd and delivering your message, it would help diminish fear by letting yourself know that there are judges and members of a panel to scrutinize and grade you on your performance, thinking of them more as family and friends to help you achieve your dreams and overcoming your fears by counting and dwelling on your mistakes.
These are the ten important steps to overcome your fear of public speaking and as long as you know how to make good use of it, you’ll be surprised to see that your fear of public speaking may just become a thing of the past.
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According to a research of psychology today people fear public speaking more that they fear death.
In my own experience, the very first time I stood up in front of an audience, my knees were shaking, my voice was trembling and my breathing was heavy and fast. People can really tell that I am nervous. No public speaker can avoid this nervousness even though they are doing it for a very long time. Because it’s the mix feeling the we feel, especially the excitement.
These are great pointers to handle fear of public speaking. Being confident about your speech will help. Know your subject, know your message, and know your audience. These are the 3 basics steps I always do whenever I am about to deliver a speech.
Sounds good. Confidence in public speaking depends on knowing the subject, knowing the message and knowing the audience. Thanks Crisly. Great!
Great tips. I suffer a lot from this problem, and can really freeze when having to speak before a room full of people. Will try to practise these 🙂
Keep practicing. It helps. Thanks Neha
This is very helpful. #8 – Cramming- I am notorious for doing this in every aspect of life. I don’t have to do much public speaking in the now, but may have to in the coming months/years. It’s good to know I should NOT cram for this type of thing. #9 is something I struggle with since I tend to second guess myself often. I find that if I know a subject well, there is little to know anxiety when speaking about it. It’s newly learned subjects that I haven’t committed to memory yet that are tricky. Thank you for this insight.
When you speak in public there is no need of fear even if you have knowledge about the subject or if you do not have it. Through practice you will be able to overcome fear. FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. So courage will solve such problems. Thanks Amber for your inputs.
Great tips! Staying calm and focusing on your strengths is the way to go. I also love the tip no 9, it so important to believe in yourself and have self-confidence.
You are welcome Jigisha. Practice makes it better and better.