How to Be Comfortable While Speaking In Public

Probably everyone has experienced a fear of public speaking at some point in their lives. You could constantly be the life of the party, completely at ease talking amongst friends and family, but when you get up in front of a crowd to make a presentation, you freeze up. You choke, you feel nervous, you stutter. The thing is, everyone feels this way at first, and you just need some help with feeling comfortable with public speaking. Here are some tips.

Instructions

Preparation

1. Put together some note cards for the presentation or speech. Don't attempt to write everything out--the notes should be bullet points meant to refresh your memory and keep the talk on track, not a script to be read from.

2. Plan exactly how you are going to present beforehand. Never attempt to improvise on the spot, unless you feel you are extremely knowledgeable about the subject, and even then, planning will help you keep everything running smoothly from one topic to the next.

3. Wear clothes that are appropriate for the situation, yet comfortable. If you are in front of a group of executives, while you will want to be formal, your clothes don't have to be brand new or barely worn. If you have comfortable clothes, you can avoid feeling stiff or too formal, no matter what you look like.

4. Practice what you are going to say in the room you're going to present it, if you can. This will help make the room seem familiar, rather than an strange, alien place.

5. Practice in front of people, even if it is only a few friends, or a boss, if you can manage it. Practice does make perfect, and people watching you will help you get used to the feeling of standing up there, and they can also give helpful advice as to what works or doesn't work.

Presenting

1. Use eye contact while talking, but don't stare. Keep moving your eyes around the room, meeting other people's eyes for a few moments, then move on. A good trick is to move between a handful of people to start with, rather than everyone, so you get comfortable with looking at their faces.

2. Use hand gestures, if they are natural to you. If you are a naturally still person, don't try to add in hand gestures, because they will come off as forced and awkward. On the other hand, if you are naturally animated while talking, don't try to keep still. You will just become horribly uncomfortable, which will affect your talk.

3. Move around, if you need to. If you have a lot of nervous energy while talking, don't be afraid to walk back and forth in front of people, unless you are at a podium. As long as there is no obvious or set place people expect you to stand, walking will help you burn off that energy. If you are at a podium, you can try shifting quietly from foot to foot every couple minutes, as long as it is not obvious. You don't want to look like you're bouncing up and down.

4. Don't rely on your note cards. They are meant to be aids, not the speech itself. When you look at them, limit yourself to quick glances at them, long enough to read the next bullet or two. If you can, try and incorporate them with moving your hands, by bringing them about stomach level before looking.