How can I stop public speaking anxiety?

Answer 1

In my direct experience as a public speaker for over 20 years, and have tutored 100s of teens and adults in public speaking for over 15 years, I am not convinced public speaking anxiety can be "stopped."

Rather, I would say the anxiety can lessen greatly with consistent practice and feedback as well as the acceptance, as part of being human, that a "body sensation" will be noticeable when public speaking, commonly in the days/hours/minutes leading up to the speaking event.

Each individual experiences and copes with anxiety differently. With coaching and increased focus, a budding public speaker can become more aware of what might trigger anxiety as well as what might be useful for calming it down, such as breathing and grounding techniques.

I have heard that the famous actor Paul Newman admitted to feeling anxiety before walking out on stage. He had a routine for "talking" to the anxiety which was that he closed his eyes, smiled wide, and said out loud to himself with confidence, "show time"

Answer 2

Most people fear public speaking worse than death. Accept that. The way that you overcome that anxiety is to practice, practice, and then practice some more.

Choose topics that you thoroughly research and know well. People are more effective when they are speaking about a topic that they are genuinely interested in.

Get a coach and get specific feedback on your delivery and content.

But most of all, don't get discouraged. You don't have to be Steve Jobs to be an effective public speaker.