Public Speaking Anxiety: 4 Ways To Control It


by Michael A. Jones - Date: 2007-02-23 - Word Count: 457 Share This!

Calls for "Speech, Speech" can send many men and women into panic and fear. Others may be given an assignment to present information before a group and feel overwhelmed by public speaking anxiety in the run up to the presentation.

The 4 key suggestions here will do much alleviate the problem and assist anyone to control and overcome public speaking anxiety:

1. Thorough Preparation

The biggest antidote to audience fear? Thorough preparation! There is no short-cut.

If you have carefully researched your material so you are convinced it is worth delivering, and you firmly believe your audience needs to hear it, and you have practiced and practiced the delivery, you can stand up in front of an audience with confidence!

2. Breathing

Control nervousness by taking deep breaths to relax the body. Concentrate on your message and the things you have prepared to present to your audience rather than on your nervousness.

Use positive speech, even in your own thoughts. Instead of saying to yourself, "Boy, do I feel nervous", which only reinforces the feeling, say, "My adrenaline is pumping and I'm going to use it to deliver an unforgettable presentation!"

3. Confidence Visualized

To increase confidence and combat uncertainty use visualization techniques. These can be VERY effective.

Running through the whole presentation including the approach to the speaker's stand, the initial pause, the first few sentences, over and over again in your mind, will create great confidence.

4. End Result Visualization

Include the end result in your visualization exercise.

See yourself having successfully concluded an excellent presentation with the applause of the audience in your ears. See the smiles, hear the compliments afterwards and make them real in your mind.

In a TV interview, Mohammed Ali once explained how he prepared for a fight. He would concentrate his mind on imagining actually being there in the ring, in the stadium, at the venue. He would see himself there at the end of the fight, victorious.

He created a very real scene in his mind with the smells, feelings, sounds, sights, he expected to experience at that moment. He used the phrase 'Future History' to describe what he created in his mind.

Why not create a 'Future History' for yourself before your next presentation and see how it triggers the necessary energy to overcome any feelings of self-doubt.

It may be unrealistic for some individuals to think they will conquer public speaking anxiety completely. Perhaps some public speakers with many years experience can walk in front of an audience without any nervousness at all.

For the majority however, who may only be called on occasionally to speak before a group or an audience, there will always be some anxiety. A realistic expectation regarding public speaking anxiety and following the suggestions above can however do much to control it so it does not overwhelm the speaker.


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Michael has personally benefited from this Public Speaking Course ranked No. 1:

http://www.about-goal-setting.com/public-speaking-course.htm

For personal development listen to "The Program Of Presidents":

http://www.about-goal-setting.com/personal-development.html

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