What does it take to get over anxiety about public speaking?

Answer 1

Simply put, public speaking is not a natural skill for many. Decades ago it was the case for even me.

We are naturally nervous when feeling exposed, unprepared, and out of our depth. Can we as more introverted individuals, overcome the flight or freeze response that comes when speaking to a group or giving a presentation? Yes. And, it takes intentional practice and willingness to retrain one of our Amygdala brain.

Success strategies and intentional practice and being a coachable person can help get anybody there. We can even succeed in speaking in a second language when needed--by having some fundamental skills developed and sustained. The frameworks for great storytelling and narratives that influence, being able to also improvise, and use humor by choice CAN all be learned and integrated.

Recognizing your motivations for needing and wanting to be a better speaker begins the journey.

Answer 2

Hey! I often struggled with this too at the beginning. Overcoming anxiety about public speaking often involves a combination of preparation, practice, and mindset adjustments. Here are some tips:

1. Preparation: Know your material inside and out. Practice your speech multiple times until you feel confident with the content.

2. Visualization: Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation. Imagine yourself speaking confidently and engaging the audience.

3. Relaxation techniques: Practice deep breathing, mindfulness, or other relaxation techniques to calm your nerves before speaking.

4. Start small: Begin by speaking in front of smaller, more supportive groups before tackling larger audiences.

5. Positive self-talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of past successes and focus on your strengths.

6. Focus on the message: Shift your focus from yourself to the message you want to convey. Remember that you're there to share valuable information with your audience.

7. Seek support: Talk to friends, family, or a professional if anxiety persists. They can provide encouragement and strategies for managing anxiety.

The biggest thing is practice, practice, practice. Start of in the mirror and gradually work your way up to practicing with friends/family. If you’re in school, a good way to start combatting this anxiety is raising your hand to give opinions or answer questions during class. This will help you adjust and get over the initial nervousness. Remember, it's normal to feel nervous before public speaking, but with practice and persistence, you can overcome your anxiety and become a more confident speaker.

Answer 3

Getting over anxiety about public speaking is a multifaceted journey that combines mental and practical strategies. Initially, it's crucial to understand that feeling anxious about public speaking is a common experience shared by many. Accepting this reality can help normalize the feelings of nervousness.

Preparation plays a pivotal role in alleviating anxiety; thorough research and organization of the topic coupled with multiple rounds of practice can significantly boost confidence. Practicing the speech in front of a mirror, recording oneself, or rehearsing in front of a trusted individual aids in familiarizing oneself with the material and delivery. Visualization techniques can also be beneficial, allowing individuals to envision themselves speaking confidently and effectively.

Controlled breathing exercises and relaxation techniques help in managing pre-speech jitters by calming the mind and body. Starting with smaller, more familiar groups before progressing to larger audiences can ease the transition into public speaking.

Redirecting the focus away from oneself and onto the message and audience can alleviate self-consciousness. Positive self-talk, feedback from others, and seeking professional help if necessary are integral parts of the journey toward overcoming public speaking anxiety.

With patience, practice, and perseverance, individuals can gradually develop the confidence and skills needed to excel in public speaking situations.

Answer 4

We can overcome anxiety by rehearsal, practice, and repetition of key phrases, bold headlines, and practicing your speech with a buddy. Write out your speech, highlight key phrases, and use parallel structure, the triad.

Answer 5

Anxiety before public speaking is a commonly shared experience; you’re far from alone! Anxiety is much easier to deconstruct once we name specifically what it is we’re anxious about.

Maybe we’re worried about stumbling over our words. Maybe we’re worried about being poorly judged. Maybe, if we needed to memorize something, we’re worried about forgetting what we wanted to say.

Now, we can trust that a healthy amount of anxiety will motivate us to prepare well—so that we don’t stumble over our words, forget what we needed to memorize, etc. We’ll outline what we need to say; we’ll practice; we’ll slowly build up experience over several speaking engagements so that they get easier and easier…

But even after we prepare as best we can, we can still feel worried or anxious, even if it’s about the smallest likelihood of something bad happening. So there are two questions we can ask ourselves when feeling anxious about public speaking (or about anything, really!):

1. What is the reasonable worst that could happen?
2. What would reasonably happen after that?

The goal of these questions is to start with a big fear and play it out in our mind until it gets really small. For example, the reasonable worst that could happen when I read a speech at a conference is that I will stumble over my words. And then, people will be momentarily confused about what I’m trying to say. And then, I will pause, breathe, and start the line over. And then, I’ll keep speaking, and people will get back on board with what I’m saying, and over time, the audience will likely forget that I stumbled in the first place.

In short, we can ease our anxieties by focusing on them (rather than ignoring them or denying them). By playing them out in our head, we can see that the “monster under the bed” is likely a formless figment of our imagination, instead of a genuine threat. :)