Five Tips to Combat the Fear of Public Speaking

The fear of public speaking is known as communication apprehension or stage fright. It's often noted that many people fear speaking more than death. It's important to overcome this fear if you seek to advance in your career, because many workplaces require employees to give presentations from time to time. Although public speaking can cause anxiety, there are ways for you to combat your fear and actually learn to enjoy it.

Evaluate Yourself

One way to combat fear of public speaking is to evaluate yourself. If you know you have certain weaknesses related to public speaking, make an honest assessment of your specific challenges and give special attention to them. It's also helpful for you to know how you handle stress. For example, if your hands tend to shake when you give a presentation, be sure you're not holding papers in your hands, so your nervousness won't be evident to the audience.

Remember Audience Perspective

Speakers are generally harder on themselves and their audiences are. Keep in mind that audience members will generally not be aware of any mistakes you make. If you forget to make a specific point or some words in the speech, you'll be the only one who knows that. In addition, audience members may not even realize when you're nervous because the signs may not be obvious to them...and more importantly, they're not looking for them.

Prepare

Being prepared for a speaking engagement is another way that speakers can help avoid communication apprehension. You should thoroughly know the topic of your speech and the supporting materials you plan to use. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should memorize your speeches, but you should be well aware of all the points you plan to make. The more comfortable you feel with your material, the easier it will be to communicate it to others.

Think Positively

A lot of fear about public speaking is based on how speakers view themselves and how they view public speaking in general. If you think you're not good at giving speeches, this belief will make you nervous. To combat this, you should visualize being successful at public speaking, to help build your confidence. Also, if you change the way you think about the speechmaking process, this can help alleviate communication apprehension. If you believe public speaking is difficult, you're more likely to get nervous than if you view it as an enjoyable experience.

Watch Chemical and Food Intake

Speakers should generally avoid medications before giving a presentation unless they're prescribed by a doctor. Tranquilizers or artificial stimulants may impair your memory, which will cause problems during the speech that could increase your anxiety. You also need to be careful with what you eat and drink shortly before your presentation, i.e., don't load up on coffee if you know you'll need to subsequently use a bathroom.

References

• "Mastering Public Speaking"; George L. Grice and John F. Skinner; 2009
• "Speaking with a Purpose"; Arthur Koch; 2007
• "Public Speaking: An Audience-Centered Approach"; Steven Beebe; 2003
• Public Speaking: Strategies for Success"; David Zarefsky; 2007
• "Human Communication: The Basic Course"; Joseph A. DeVito; 2008