Fear of public speaking is nearly universal. Most all of us can relate to the ache in the pit of the stomach, the sweaty palms, and the jittery nerves that so often accompany pubic speaking occasions. As a matter of fact, the fear of public speaking is so common that one study I saw ranked it above the fear of death! That’s pretty amazing when you consider that every negative thing that can happen to an individual in public speaking is intangible. You can’t fall to your death or be burned alive by a failed public speaking engagement. You can only feel embarrassed or discouraged.
The first step in overcoming the fear of public speaking is to realize, “It’s not about me!” Far too often we make the mistake of unconsciously using our public speaking engagements to sell ourselves instead of what we are talking about. We want people to like us, to think well of us, so we use the topic as a vehicle for self promotion. However, in doing so we put undue pressure on ourselves by raising the stakes in the event someone responds negatively to our presentation and we short change the audience by depriving them of what they came to hear, namely a speech focused on the advertised topic. The truth is that audiences tend to dislike speakers who are selling themselves and really appreciate speakers that are passionate about and focused on their subject.
The next step in overcoming the fear of public speaking is to accept the fact that you don’t have to be perfect to be successful. Work hard, do your preparation, make sure that you know what you are talking about and that your subject is truly the focus of your presentation, but then relax. The vast majority of the population wants you to succeed and admires the fact that you are facing your fears and even attempting a public speaking engagement. The few that don’t have their own issues that they need to deal with so don’t worry about them when you are in a public speaking environment.
Third, follow Shakespeare’s admonition when he wrote, “To thine own self be true.” When someone is engaging in public speaking, one of the worst mistakes the individual can make is to try to be someone or something they are not. Unless your name is Redford, or Nicholson, you are not that good of an actor. The good news though, is that you don’t have to be someone else for public speaking. Who you are will be just fine. Give yourself permission to totally be yourself when you are in a public speaking situation. Your audience will enjoy your openness and humility and it will help them to relax and focus on your topic – which is why you are speaking in the first place, right?
Of course we all know all the tricks of public speaking; imagine your audience in their underwear, pretend you are speaking to your best friend in the back of the room, etc. These tricks can be useful. Use them if they help, but remember that after these three things, the main thing you need is practice to be successful in public speaking.
K. Shinn http://shinndig.com/all-issues/index-of-articles.htm