Fear Of Public Speaking: tips on how to overcome it

5 Tips On How To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking

One of the most common human fears around the world is the fear of public speaking or as some psychologists call it — Glossophobia —. You know you’re afraid of speaking in public when, every time before you give a speech in front of an audience, you notice that your heart starts beating fast, your hands are shaking, you start sweating and you are unable to shape your words properly.

Don’t worry, you are not alone. About 75% of the population experiences the same thing as you.

We all want to be fearless public speakers. We all want to conquer the fear of public speaking; 

Here are my 5 practical tips to achieve that

1. Accept that being nervous is not a bad thing

It is ABSOLUTELY okay and normal to be nervous, when it comes to public speaking. Believe it or not, even the excellent speakers feel a slight nervousness before their speech.

So the first step in order to overcome this fear is to accept it is to stop fighting it, stop denying it. Don’t feel ashamed of yourself because of that feeling, just accept it. As Greenberg says, “Being nervous means you care about giving a good presentation. Your nervousness produces adrenaline, which helps you think faster, speak more fluently, and add the needed enthusiasm to convey your message.”

2. Breathe

This tip may seem a bit ridiculous, but most of us, when we start giving our speech, we tend to forget to breathe calmly. So it is important to take two or three deep, slow breaths before you do your presentation and during your speech, because it will reinforce your feeling of comfort so that your voice won’t sound shaky.

3. Replace anxiety with excitement

Anxiety is an intense emotion, and it’s hard to make it vanish quickly. So instead of focusing on your negative thoughts (I am not good at speaking in front of crowds, I am not a good public speaker, I am boring, etc.), say “I’m excited”. Why “I’m excited” and not “I’m calm”? Well, it’s easier to convert anxiety into another strong emotion like excitement. Plus, it was proofed scientifically that saying “I’m excited” led to more accurate good performances than saying “I’m calm”.

4. Practice makes perfect

The best way to reduce your anxiety is to rehearse until you feel comfortable. Do it several times in front of some people you’re comfortable with like friends, family members and ask for honest constructive feedback.

5. Visualize your success

Here’s my favorite thing to do to overcome my fear of public speaking, visualization. Basically, it’s a simple exercise where you close your eyes and imagine yourself giving your speech with confidence and enthusiasm. You have to picture every single detail: What does the room look like? What do the people look like? How do you look? 

It is really, really, really helpful because you are focusing only on the “positive”, which can help decrease some of your negativity about your social performance and relieve some anxiety.