Tips To Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety

Here are some simple tips to overcome the symptoms of public speaking anxiety:

(1) Take some sips of water to lubricate your voice to avoid a dry throat

(2) Before you start to speak, relax by pausing and taking a few deep breaths. Smile at the audience and it will help you feel better.

(3) Memorize your opening line to give your brain a chance to get into gear. If you have prepared well the rest of your presentation will follow

(4) To help with the shakes hold on to something. It might not be best practice but if it helps with your shakes do it.

There are just some of the strategies that you can use to beat public speaking anxiety.

Public Speaking Anxiety Symptoms

Some nerves about and before giving a presentation are a good thing. It gets the adrenaline going and can keep you focused and build enthusiasm. Many of today's confident public speakers experience nerves but they either experience it as excitement or use it to giver their best.

Some of the public speaking anxiety symptoms that cause problems are:

1. A dry and croaky throat making it difficult to speak

2. Speaking too quickly, too quietly, or in a high pitched squeaky voice

3. Continually thinking and visualizing on every possible thing that could go wrong

4. Feeling sick in your stomach

5. Your mind going blank just before you are to start to speak

These stage fright symptoms can make it difficult to effectively speak and present. But there are ways to lessen these public speaking anxiety symptoms.

3 Quick Public Speaking Anxiety Tips

It is good to know that public speaking anxiety is a learnt emotion. It means that it can be "unlearnt." Many of today's confident public speakers beat their stage fright to move on. We can follow in their footsteps and become more at ease speaking and presenting to groups.

Here are 3 quick tips that can help with public speaking anxiety:-

1. Don't think about your speech being criticized. Instead think to yourself "I am doing my best. And if someone is unhappy with my speech, so what?"

2. Remember you feel more nervous than you will appear to the audience. Also, most audiences are sympathetic towards you. They know how tough it can be too.

3. If you are feeling tense before you speak go for a short walk or do some stretches to relieve tension.

Public speaking anxiety, we know, can be overcome because it was learnt response and others have managed to beat it.

Public Speaking Anxiety Is Learnt

Public speaking anxiety is not a fear that we are born with. We come into this world with 2 fears only - fear of falling and fear of loud noises. It is learnt usually from parents and adults.

Some sources of public speaking anxiety are;-

1. The saying "children should be seen and not heard" - not always explicit but can be implied by parents and others approach to excited children
2. The other piece of advice given is "It is better to stay silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt." This can be good advice but there are times when it is right to speak up and be heard.

There are other examples but the point is that public speaking anxiety is learnt.

And because public speaking stage fright is learnt it is possible to beat it.

Public Speaking Anxiety is Able to be Overcome

Public speaking anxiety is a common fear and many of today's confident public speakers have experienced it. This is a good news as it means that if others have been overcome public speaking anxiety we can use their experience to also overcome it.

It could be considered "not so good" news - in the majority of people, public speaking anxiety completely goes away. Today's effective public speakers or presenters use these nerves in a positive way to ensure they give a good presentation.

Nerves and anxiety are a sign you care about the speech you are to give. The absence of public speaking anxiety does not mean that the person will deliver a great speech. They may not care and will talk about anything (jabbering on).

Public speaking anxiety can be overcome to be a confident public speaking. Some anxiety is a good thing as it helps to deliver an effective speech.

Public Speaking Anxiety is a Common Fear

Public speaking anxiety is a common fear. In surveys the fear of public speaking is the number one fear of many people out ranking death. This led Seinfeld to observe the following:- “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

Fortunately, unlike death, most people can overcome their public speaking anxiety and speak with confidence when giving a speech or presentation to a group. Confident public speaking is attainable for nervous speakers because many oftoday's effective speakers were once that way.

Public speaking anxiety is natural, but it is also natural to want to and actually shake the "shakes" and be able to speak with ease to groups of any size.