Overcoming Fear Of Public Speaking Does Not Have To Be Difficult

Do you need help with overcoming fear of public speaking?

The fear of public speaking stems from just a few basic concepts – that the audience will not like or accept you personally, or that they will not accept what you have to say.

Frankly, public speaking is a common stressor for almost everyone. The unfortunate thing is, eventually almost everyone finds need to speak in public at one point or another. For the majority of people, it only occurs a few times in a lifetime, but for leaders and people in key positions, we need to not only learn to speak before crowds, but to do so effectively.

Sometimes, the very effectiveness of one’s success depends on being able to convey a message before people. So what do these people do when public speaking makes them quake in their tracks?

In overcoming fear of public speaking, first off, they tell themselves everyday (probably for the rest of their lives) they are not alone in this fear. Secondly, that it is not being perfect or witty or because one has a brilliant mind that makes him / her a good public speaker.

Listen, you have got to go in knowing these are people just like you – this will help you in overcoming fear of public speaking. They share the same fears and what they are really here for is the information and not you. You CAN make mistakes, you CAN lose your train of thought or become tongue-tied. Actually, these very things can work to your advantage, especially if you have no wit at all! The secret is letting your witlessness get your chuckles and play off of it.

For instance, a blunder and then: ‘Momma said there’d be days like this,’ will relieve tension all over the building. A follow up of: ‘Anyone relate?’ is all that will be necessary before you begin again. Or: ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a little nervous this evening.’ These few words put you in their sympathy and half your battle has already been won on the public speaking battlefield.

Your mistakes and frustrations make you more real in their eyes – they are more apt to get your drift when the atmosphere is at ease. Laughter is a wonderful stress breaker.

The next thing to remember in overcoming fear of public speaking is mountains of facts will be lost in the processing of it and in the interpretation. The human brain will only take in so much at a time. Focus on just a couple of points and forget loads of information they will probably not remember tomorrow. This lets you off the cramming to get everything in hook and they are not so pressured to remember as much. Your 2 to 3 key points can be written on one card and just by giving each point equal time, you will be considered a good speaker.

Remember, it’s not about you. Who cares if they approve of you as a person or not? There will always be people who don’t like you – NO BIG DEAL. Did you deliver something of value to your audience? Were you bold when you needed to be, silly when you goofed and had to be, compassionate when it was warranted, and helpful as far as the topic went? Keeping these pointers in mind will help you with overcoming fear of public speaking.