Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking

Over half of people experience a certain level of anxiety and nervousness when they speak. These surveys are used to rate human fears above spiders, heights, and death in general. Nervousness is the most common, with a wide range of severity from mild anxiety to paralyzing dread and panic. Many people afflicted with this phobia avoid public speaking situations or have shaking hands and voices that shake and tremble. But with preparation and experience, it can be overcome by good practice.

Public speaking anxiety is caused by a number of factors, including:

Communication anxiety is the worry or dread that stems from communicating with others, thinking about it, or even discussing it in a group setting. This fear can exist on a personal, professional, or public level. The anxiety is tempered or caused by the setting such as formal or informal. Some speakers suffer more severe anxiety than the other types. Additional factors also contribute to confusion, such as whether you are living in a new environment or studying new things. When there are a lot of things riding on one speech, anxiety is usually to be expected. It’s your goal that determines your worry.

Public speaking anxiety symptoms

Other speakers experience ill effects that make it difficult for them to give effective speeches. Simply knowing about the symptoms can help control them very quickly. For many speakers, the fear and concern about how they appear to their audience are out of proportion to how they look, so it becomes a question of more taking responsibility for the causes rather than being scared of the symptoms. Let’s take a closer look at what being afraid of public speaking entails: the natural response is known as a “fight or flight” reaction. This response includes symptoms such as nervousness, shaking hands, rapid breathing, nausea, and an upset stomach.

Here are more specific symptoms:

Increased heart rate

Your cardiovascular speed is controlled by your autonomic nervous system that operates like in the steering wheel when a fight or flight happens. Two paths — sympathetic and parasympathetic — constitute this system. The latter revs the throttle to life and the former is braked. This cycle also helps you get the energy you need to run an entire marathon, for example. But once you are at rest your blood pressure also decreases. When faced by a threat — real or perceived — or high-pressure situation (for example when delivering a presentation this is like going from 0 to 60 mph.

Dry Mouth

Your saliva cells don’t produce sufficient amounts. This does not help. If you feel a little anxious while speaking you might have overcome this problem. Drink water before you speak and have some handy for the presentation. You should also avoid alcohol and cigarettes since they might exacerbate your symptoms.

Squeaky voice

Anxiety can make your voice shake and it can squeak and break and you might believe the audience will notice this. If you’re nervous, your breathing may become irregular. You may be surprised that others don’t seem to notice or care about these little things which, of course, mean nothing to them. There are ways to get rid of anxiety such as taking a deep breath and running through your speech in your head before going on stage.

What can we do to overcome my anxiety about speaking in public?

Fear of public speaks can range from mild worry to crippling fear and panic. People with significant performance anxiety in other social circumstances can suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder which may require cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of them. If you cannot overcome fear just by practicing, consult a professional counselor. If your doctors prescribed you medications before you speak you can get one before your speech to see what the drug will do to you. From my own experience, I made significant progress in controlling my anxiety after seeing a hypnotist.

How do I prepare for a speech?

There is a range of strategies that can be used to overcome social anxiety and improve our communication skills. When you can be more professional and prepared, it will boost your confidence. It makes it easier to concentrate on delivering your message, particularly when preparing yourself for speaking engagement.

There are several different strategies to take note of. These include:

Eliminating distractions — Get rid of any unwanted distractions by carefully planning the location, day, and time for your presentation. Rushing or making last-minute changes only stresses you out which will undermine your confidence further. Prepare well in advance so you can get yourself into the right frame of mind and get your thoughts into order.

Preparing your presentation — Write out a full script before you begin to practice speaking it out loud so you don’t forget the points you want to make. Rehearse in front of a mirror and tape yourself so that you can see how you come across and ensure that the words flow naturally.

Verbal reminders — Practicing your speech out loud helps to embed the words into your memory. When you are presenting, practicing verbal cues can help you remember what comes next. For example, if you’re presenting a 10-minute talk, try using the word “top” every time you get to one minute mark, “middle” at the 5-minute mark, and “finish” at the 9-minute and 50-second mark.

Setting goals

If you think public speaking isn’t one of your strengths remember it’s actually just an aspect of your life. Instead of struggling on your way, make it a personal goal to become a wonderful speech and speaker. With careful treatment and a lot of practice, you can start speaking in public. It is probably so entertaining that people actually do enjoy it more. Put it in context. Let a certain amount of strength stop you from achieving any goals that are relevant to your everyday life. We all have to feel comfortable around an audience. Find this balance and find the right kind of information.

Practice and Visualization

Even people who want to talk in public can rehearse a lengthy speech. When you practice speaking 10–20 times, it gives you confidence in your ability to speak. If your talk had time limits, allow yourself time to practice runs and adjust your content as needed to fit in within the time limits. It is important enough to get good results with practice but you need to work to get it.

Planning for performance

Take a couple of steps before speaking or launching. The first moments of speaking are the most critical ones. Making a list of triggers to help you remain calm, such as taking slow breaths or trying meditation techniques for anxiety reduction, can also be really helpful. You need to feel comfortable about your body language and appearance when it’s time to speak; otherwise, you will come across as someone nervous or unprepared.

One of the most common fears people have is public speaking. It’s not uncommon for those with this phobia to avoid situations where they will be required to speak or shake hands and voices that shake and tremble. But with preparation and experience, your fears can be overcome by good practice.