Have you ever had to give a speech, but found yourself quaking at the thought of getting up in front of all those people? You are not alone. Public speaking happens to be Americans’ number one fear, way ahead of death. Overcoming that fear, though, is possible.
Tips for managing performance anxiety:
- Change the conversation in your head. Rather than talking to yourself negatively, and worrying about what will happen if you screw up, talk to yourself in a positive tone. Ask yourself what will happen if you succeed. Questions like this will calm your mind and give you courage.
- Practice out loud. When you go through your material in your mind you tend to get sloppy. You need to verbalize the entire speech in order to really see, and hear, how you sound. Practice at least five times, and space those practices out, in order to encode that material into your long-term memory.
- Establish transitions. Make sure that you add transitions in your speech; these are the words that take you from one thought seamlessly to another. They help guide your listener. Without them, your speech will be choppy and disjointed. Know the transitions you want to use and memorize them.
- Take deep breaths. When you are nervous, you tend to breathe too quickly and shallowly. Taking slow, measured breaths helps you focus. Take those breaths before you go on stage, and when you begin to speak, remember to pause and breathe after you make your points.
- Try a “power pose”. Power poses were defined by Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy. She studies body language and the impact certain poses have on your hormones. Power poses increased testosterone levels in the body and increased confidence. The most well-known of these poses is the ‘Wonder Woman’: hands on hips, chest out, standing tall. Try it for a few minutes before giving your speech and see if you don’t feel more powerful.
- Pause frequently. Pausing helps you regain your composure whenever you feel anxious. Strategic pauses can have a calming effect on your mind, and they can help emphasize your key points.
- Understand audience expressions may be blank. While we tend to get feedback from our listeners during a regular conversation, during a speech you will most likely be looking at an audience of blank faces. Know that this does not mean they don’t like what they hear, instead, it means they are simply concentrating on what you’re saying.
Overcoming public speaking fears can be easier than it sounds. Follow these tips before your next speech and see how much easier public speaking can be.
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