3 Tips to Help You Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking |
Posted: July 25, 2017 |
Speaking in public is a common fear for people, and yet, it is something many must learn how to do. It may be speaking to a few staff members in your department, an entire company or before thousands in a conference or seminar. Since most people will have to speak in front of others at some point, they can learn how to overcome their fear. Here are three tips to help.
Practice, Practice, Practice
One of the most common worries about speaking in front of people is forgetting what to say. A person imagines they are talking and they forget what they are supposed to talk about. The worry over standing there with a blank look on their face can actually make their fears worse.
To prevent this problem and overcome the fear, practice before the event. If it helps, write out your speech. This process will make it easier to remember your words. Stand up in front of a mirror or even in front of your family and give your speech. Memorize it if it will help alleviate your fears.
Look for Ways to Improve
Focus on the technical aspects of speaking, and find areas where you can improve. If you have trouble being understood because of a heavy accent, hire an accent reduction coach to help you overcome this issue. If you stumble over your words or have long pauses, work on learning how to speak slower. As you focus on areas where you can make adjustments in your speaking, you’ll forget about the overall fear of being in front of others. When you master the problem, you’ll feel more confident.
Be Yourself You may get tips from the experts or advice from others you know. However, you should always be yourself when you get in front of your audience. Don’t try to be funny if that doesn’t fit your personality. Don’t try to talk for a long time if you’re the type of person who likes to get to the point.
On the other hand, don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new once you get more comfortable with public speaking. Sometimes changing your style can make it easier to be the center of attention. Just work on getting used to the process before you try anything too drastic. While you can find all kinds of tips to help you be a more dynamic speaker, you should only focus on getting through the event in the beginning. Don’t try to add in tricks or worry about keeping the attention of your audience. Your goal is just to get to the end of your speech and sit down. Once you’ve mastered this problem, you can work on improving your performance.
Even if you never become a fabulous public speaker, you can get through the required events if you practice beforehand, work on areas where you need to improve and focus on being yourself. Someday you may even find you enjoy speaking in public. At the very least, you’ll discover you can do it.
Claudette Roche is a dialect coach in the Vero Beach, FL area. She teaches foreign and American accents to actors and business persons/executives. In 2010 she was named as one of The Top 5 Voice Coaches by Hollywood Weekly Magazine.
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