How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

About 30% of the world’s population loves to speak in front of an audience. That leaves about 70% of the population with a phobia of public speaking. It’s a big deal to experience the feelings you get when being in front of a large crowd. But if it involves feelings of fear, nausea, terror, panic attacks, and extreme anxiety, then it’s just not much fun. The fear we tend to feel when doing public speeches is mainly adrenaline-based. Roughly most of us remember the time in high school when we had to do a public speech and got those butterflies, anxiety, and didn’t sleep well the night before.

The same happens to entrepreneurs who prepare their speeches for their business presentations. The fear of public speaking is the most common fear ahead of anything else, including heights and even death. Public speaking anxiety has underlying issues, meaning that people with such fear should consider managing their social anxiety disorder. 

The fear of public speaking 

Whatever the physical symptoms of public speaking are, it’s an unpleasant situation. But here’s the good news: with a little patience and work, you can turn those feelings of fear to pleasure. How to use the adrenaline to help you in important circumstances? The first thing to understand is that your adrenaline is the body’s way of preparing you for important moments, such as chasing down tigers. 

Nowadays, giving public speeches has taken the place of chasing down tigers. Even so, your body still reacts and your brain starts to work a little faster, your heart pumps harder, and you stand straighter than ever before. You’re able to do a great job, but in fact, your body shakes and you’re all sweating. 

The issue is that the physical symptoms of fear don’t lead you to anywhere. Indeed, physical emotions are a great way to release you from excess of physical energy. But standing in front of an audience is not relieving at all. Some people walk relaxed all over the stage, while others lose all their focus, remaining rigid and anxious. So, if you find it happening to you, focus on those irritating physical symptoms and tell yourself: “Relax, this is normal. I’m going to do a great job.” 

How to help your public speaking anxiety?

If you work on yourself each time you experience these sensations, you’ll learn how to control them and enjoy the adrenaline. Our prefrontal lobes of our brain are sensitive to anxiety. When your brain starts to freeze up, you tend to get more nervous, stressed, and irritated. This disconnects you from the present, meaning that it makes it harder for you to concentrate on what you need to do. So, we need to learn how to take immediate action. 

One way to do it is by using strategies and tips to control our emotions. Therapy might be the answer for combating the fear of public speaking. Speech and language therapy are a great way to learn how to freely communicate with others. This type of therapy supports issues like difficult communication for children, adolescents, and adults. Speech and language therapy services are often required by teenagers, but also adults who need to overcome their social speaking anxiety.

Practice to increase confidence

As mentioned before, an estimated 70% of adults suffer from phobia of public speaking. When we stress about something, we tend to act and feel differently. Often, our minds go blank, we may start shaking, and our voices may be harder to control. If you are this type of person, don’t feel frightened – you’re not the only one. Even professional public speakers feel nervous and stressed before a public speaking, but they use the right techniques to confront their adrenaline. 

Whenever you will need to do a business presentation, make sure you will prepare and organize yourself before. For example, visit the location where you’ll be presenting. Be prepared for any technical issues, including having a back-up video. Also, arrive early at the venue and start practicing your speech. The key is to practice as much as possible and maintain a positive mental imagery of the whole event. Visualizing your presentation positively and successfully will bring back your strength and self-confidence. If you find any negativity in your presentation, then change the scenarios. 

Remember to relax

Remember that your purpose is to present your brand’s goals and products, not to be ridiculed by the audience. Your audience are there to support you and hear you speak. To manage best your nerves, make sure to:

• Not consume too much coffee beforehand, as this can make you shaky and anxious. 

• Choose a playlist that relaxes you, and play it on your way to the event. 

• Choose mindfulness strategies you feel comfortable practicing as you’re on your way to the location. 

• Reduce your anxiety with slow breathing techniques.

• If you have enough time, do some exercise before to release endorphins (reduces stress).

• It’s unlikely that your audience knows that you’re anxious – you don’t look anxious; you just feel that way.

To make the most of your business presentation, make sure you maintain a confident body language. You can watch videos with professional public speakers and copy their gestures. You’ll notice that they look relaxed, confident, talk slowly, and maintain eye contact with their audience. 

Connect with your audience from the beginning

The first minutes when you engage with your audience are vital. It’s the moment when you have the chance to win their trust. So, start by telling a funny story about a mistake you’ve made in the past. Of course, it must be a story relevant to your presentation’s purpose. People will relate with your story and remember that we all made mistakes in our lives. 

The more the audience engages to your stories, the more engaged they’ll be for the rest of the presentation. Look for friendly faces, and don’t hesitate on interacting with them. When starting your public speech, focus on the message you want to send to your audience. This will keep you connected with the public and prevent you from being distracted by your thoughts.