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If you have an unhealthy fear of public speaking you are not alone. Many people put public speaking very high on their list of the things they are deathly afraid to do. The reason so many fear it is because there is no way to hide when you are speaking in front of an audience. It is normal for us to fear failure, ridicule and criticism. How many of us have criticized someone speaking in front of us, whether it was a teacher, or a professor, or a speaker at an event that we attended? Probably almost everyone. That is why we fear public speaking so much. A speaker has to open himself up to rejection by all members of his audience. There are some things we can do, though, to overcome our fear of public speaking and find enjoyment in the task. It is normal for even the most seasoned speakers to feel nervous before they are scheduled to speak. Shaking and sweating hands and a shaky voice are things that most speakers exhibit at the beginning of their talks. In any type of performing nervous energy can be harnessed for your benefit. The first step to overcoming nervousness is to realize that it is a normal occurrence. Once you have accepted the fact that you are going to be nervous there are a few things you can do to deal with your nervousness. Make sure you are completely prepared for your speech. As with most things, the better prepared you are the less likely you are to make a mistake. Practice your speech until you are completely comfortable with it. Pay close attention to the speed at which you speak. Many of us speak quickly when we are nervous, so practice speaking slowly and clearly. Breathe deeply and slowly. Control the movement of your hands. Nervous hands shake, so if you are self-conscious about your nervousness try not to have your hands in view. Having somewhere to rest your notes so that you don’t have to hold them in your shaking hands is always helpful. Leadership speakers will often have a podium to rest their notes on. Try not to put pressure on yourself to memorize your speech, but on the other hand, be familiar enough with it to look at the audience occasionally. Your audience will be much more interested in what you have to say if you connect with them. Don’t expect that your speech will be perfect and don’t beat yourself up if it isn't! Humans are not perfect. If you are particularly nervous about public speaking you are going to make mistakes. Negative self-talk during your presentation, and after, are just going to make it that much harder for you the next time. Like any keynote speaker, you must be realistic about your mistakes, and honestly try to fix them, but don’t be over-critical of yourself. Remember that many of the mistakes you think you have made will go unnoticed by your audience. So let it go and move on.
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public speaking, nervousness, keynote speaker, leadership speaker,
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