Almost everyone has had a fear of public speaking at some point or another. It’s one of the biggest and most common fears in the world.
However, with experience and practice, anyone can improve and reduce the fear of speaking in public.
Things to Avoid to Help Public Speakers Overcome Anxiety
The following steps can be used to overcome a fear of public speaking. These tips will also enable public speakers to appear more natural and at ease in front of an audience.
- Don’t worry about using big words to impress people. Speeches should sound conversational, and if words don’t come naturally, they won’t sound natural.
- Avoid fidgeting and stand up straight while giving presentations. Don't bite nails, scratch the head or tap the foot. Move, but make the movements flow with the speech rather than detract from it.
- Crossed arms and hands in pockets make it appear that the public speaker is either not interested in the speech or doesn’t care about the subject.
- Clenched hands indicate the speaker is either angry or uncomfortable, and hands on hips show defiance, so avoid these postures when speaking publicly.
- Stay focused. Some subjects are too general. If there isn’t one main theme, the speech might veer off and ramble on endlessly.
- Don’t talk while looking down at notes. Memorize a line or two and then make eye contact with others before continuing the speech.
- Don’t begin by explaining or apologizing. In other words, it’s not a good idea for speakers to mention how they’re not prepared or they’re not good at speaking.
Get Public Speaking Help
Consider joining Toastmasters for public speaking help. They form groups that help each other build speaking and leadership skills by practicing and critiquing each other. It’s an inexpensive way to get public speaking training that follows a manual and provides public speaking support.
Joining a group like Toastmasters helps builds confidence in order to overcome public speaking fears.
Other Public Speaking Success Tips
Take time to mingle with the audience before the speech. It will give both the speaker and the audience time to get know each other and feel more comfortable.
Practice the speech ahead of time by looking in the mirror using natural movements. Tape-record or videotape the speech to listen and/or watch the presentation. This is an easy way to prepare and make corrections, which will help in overcoming anxiety. Then try the speech out on friends and family so that they can give feedback and tips on public speaking.
- Props like flip charts and power point presentations come in handy, because they break the speech up and give everyone another focus. Do practice using the props along with the speech so it will flow smoothly.
- Be aware of pitch and tone when presenting a speech. Purposely lower and slow the voice down in order to sound more natural. High pitched, fast paced speeches should be avoided because it portrays nervousness.
- There’s nothing wrong with using notes, as long as long as the speaker raises his or her head before addressing the audience. Keep the key points of the speech on cards large enough to read from a distance.
- When writing the speech, consider working on the main body before coming up with the introduction. Since the main points are clear, the introduction will be better and come easier. Get organized and time the speech ahead of time. A speech will take approximately two minutes per double spaced typed page.
The most important aspect of preparing a speech is to practice and know the subject. The more prepared the speech looks and sounds, the more successful it becomes.
Sources:
- Effective Speaking for All Occasions by Frederick Borden, American Research Council, 1961.
- The Sir Winston Method: The Five Secrets of Speaking the Language of Leadership by James C. Humes William Morrow and Inc., 1991.
- Toastmasters.com.
Sandra Williams - Sandra's a book addict and writer from Ontario, Canada. Her interests include cooking, health and personal development, so many of her ...
