Does the idea of giving a speech in public make your heart race or your stomach tie itself into knots? You are not alone. Most of the people have experienced it at some point in their lives. The average person ranks fear of public speaking higher than fear of death. It is a common phobia. Scientifically we call it Glossophobia.
It is a form of anxiety in which many questions are haunting the speaker’s mind like,“Will the audience like my speech? How will I tackle the situation if my mind goes blank while delivering a speech?” One can even get panic attacks struggling with the nervousness.
Over time people try to avoid public speaking. Do you want to overcome your fear? Before trying fear of public speaking treatment here are some tips that will help you in overpowering your fear and boost your confidence levels.
Don’t Bother About Getting Rejected
What if you are rejected by an audience? Life is not over by this little rejection. Move on and find someone who would like to hear you out.
Making mistakes is a part of life. Fear of rejection can paralyze your thinking ability and can stop you from moving forward. People who fear being rejected miss lots of opportunities in life.
Focus only on delivering your ideas in the best way. Forget about audience reactions. Eliminate the thoughts of getting hatred from your audience.
Boost Your Speaking By Listening To Yourself
If you need to boost your speaking confidence, there is no better way than listening to yourself. Record yourself and listen to your speaking. The idea of this is to get used of your voice and confident at the sound of your voice.
It is important to note that how you say not what you say. Keep listening till the time you start liking your voice. Once we think our voice is normal, only then begin focusing on analyzing your speeches, and then begin to think how you can improve your speech.
Once you are confident in your voice, your confidence will then grow in terms of public speaking.
Breathing Is The Key To Impressive Public Speaking
You tighten your muscles in stress and hold the tension that you are feeling. Your breathing pattern is the first place where one can notice your stress.
With anxiety you breathe more quickly and less deeply which in turn hampers the quality of voice, losing control of pitch and tone. The less air you take the worse you will feel and the less effective will be your speech.
Slow deep breaths give you a relaxing experience by slowing your heart rate. Focusing on breathing, automatically makes you feel relaxed. Breathe calmly; breathing exercise will help in reducing stress and bring clarity to your voice and speech.
Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water and keep your body hydrated as dehydration can make your mouth, throat, and lips dry. Also, avoid sugary beverages before delivering a speech as they will also dry your mouth and make it harder to talk. Dry mouth is the sign of anxiety.
You can have a glass or bottle of water near to you and don’t be afraid of taking a sip as you speak. Don’t struggle to speak because of your dry mouth.
Drinking adequate amounts of water keeps you hydrated and makes you feel calm and relax while delivering your speech.
Meditation
Meditation can help you in reducing your fear naturally. It helps you in developing a positive relationship with natural nervousness that comes while speaking. Stay relaxed and spontaneous during your speech as it helps to make you enjoy the moment, and eradicates negative thoughts from your mind.
Meditation can help you make significant improvements in your public speaking. Few minutes of practice can lay a significant impact. So why not give it a shot?
Don’t Talk Very Fast
Never rush through your talk as speaking fast neither helps you nor your audience. Speeding through your speeches confuses your listeners.
When one feels nervous, it is visible either through body language or from your speech as you rush through your material. Talking fast interferes your breathing. You can panic feeling short of breathe. Practice speaking slowly as it is your job to make it easy and comfortable for the audience to listen, understand and develop interest.
Speaking in front of people can be nerve-wracking, but it depends on you how you skill yourself to be an effective speaker in public. The more you push yourself to give public speaking, the better speaker you will become.
