A great fear
that many people have is speaking before a group or audience. The primary
reason is that they are afraid of looking foolish in front of other
people. The way to overcome this fear is through preparation, a safety-net,
and a positive attitude toward the audience.
Questions you
may have include:
Why are people so afraid
of public speaking?
What are ways to overcome
this fear?
How can I apply these
methods?
This lesson
will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz
at the end of the lesson.
Reason
for fear
The fear of
speaking is rated as only second to the fear of snakes and before the
fear of dying.
Effects
of fear
What happens to many people
is that--even before they start speaking--their heart starts beating
faster and their mouth gets dry. Some may even get nauseous or feel
like fainting.
Once the person starts talking,
the heart keeps beating rapidly and the person may hear his or her voice
tremble. The legs or even the whole body may start shaking. The person
may also stutter or start speaking rapidly.
Although some people calm
down, once they get going, others may ramble through the material incoherently.
Do you wonder why many people
don't want to go through that ordeal again?
My
experience
When I was in
high school, I was terrified of speaking in front of the class. I would
tremble and my mouth would fill with saliva. The only way I could effectively
give a presentation to the class was to sit in a chair. My English teacher
frowned on this and thought I was just trying to be different or difficult.
Looking
foolish
The reason most people get
anxious when required to speak to a group is that they are afraid of
looking foolish or stupid in front of many of their peers and important
people. They are afraid that their mind will go blank or that their
lack of speaking skills will lower the opinion others have of them.
Being humiliated can destroy
a person's ego and confidence. In fact, it can really ruin your day.
Steps to
overcome that fear
There are several steps of
tricks to use to overcome the fear of making a mistake or looking foolish
when you speak to a group:
Be well-prepared before
speaking to a group
Practice your speech
Have a backup, in case
you forget what you want to say
Reduce the fear of your
audience
Relax yourself just before
you speak
In the following material,
I will explain each of those points.
1. Be well
prepared
One of the best ways to make
sure you don't make foolish mistakes is to be well prepared before you
speak to a group. You should know what are going to talk about, who
you will speak to, and under what conditions you will speak.
Leave nothing to chance
A professional in any field
does not leave anything to chance before a big game, important performance,
or critical presentation to corporate executives. Strategies are laid
out, all material is ready, contingency plans are made, and every detail
is taken care of.
When you are well prepared,
chances of failure or goof-ups are greatly reduced. You feel more relaxed
and sure of yourself, because you have all the bases covered.
Your material
You need to know exactly
what you are going to talk about. This doesn't mean to memorize exactly
what you plan to say. Rather, it is to have a good outline of facts
and information that you can talk about.
Know audience
It is good to be aware of
what type of audience you will be speaking before. This will give you
an idea of the subject matter and tone of your speech. If you are speaking
before some important people or at an important event, that fact may
increase your anxiety. But it is good to know up front, so that you
can properly prepare for the occasion.
Conditions
It is good to check over
the conditions under which you will speak. If you can, go up to the
lectern to check things over and get a feel for things. If you will
use a microphone, check it out.
In some situations, a person
may simply make a presentation in a meeting room at work. Even then,
it is a good idea to check out the room beforehand and try to visualize
how you will be doing things.
Note that going through this
process will actually relax you and give you more confidence when it
is your turn to speak.
2. Practice
You should practice your
speech many times before you give it.
Even if you know your material
very well, practice is extremely important. The more you give a talk,
the more automatic it becomes, the more meat it can have, and the more
confidence you have in your abilities to give the speech.
Practice alone
Ways to practice alone are
to first simply say the speech out loud. This is good to get the material
more ingrained in your memory.
Use a mirror
Then say the speech, looking
into a mirror. This is good to do, because you must concentrate more.
You also get an idea of how you look when speaking. Finally, if you
must refer to notes, it allows you to practice eye contact with the
audience.
Stand in the corner
An interesting trick is to
say your speech while standing in the corner. The sound reflects back
to you, and you can get a good idea how you sound when you speak.
Record your practice
Another way to practice is
using a tape recorder. This forces you to avoid pausing to try to remember
things. It also allows you to play the speech back to study how you
sound, your phrasing, and the content of the material.
Use a friendly audience
Practice before friends.
This is a very important way to practice, because it is getting closer
to the "real world" of speaking to a group. Even an audience
of one person is good for this type of practice.
3. Have
a backup
It is worthwhile to bring
along a "security blanket" or "safety net" in case
something goes wrong in your presentation. The main thing to worry about
is forgetting what you were going to say next. This can happen even
if you've done extensive practicing of the speech.
Outline
It is good to have your speech
outlined on a few sheets of paper or on 3 X 5 cards. You can then refer
to them in case you have a mental lapse. Referring to your notes is
certainly acceptable to an audience, as long as you are not reading
a speech word-for-word from a script.
Reduces anxiety
One thing that having a safety
net provides is that it reduces you anxiety about forgetting what you
were going to say or having your mind go blank. You may never even use
the cards, but the fact that you have them--just in case--can greatly
reduce the butterflies.
4. Reduce
fear of your audience
The more important the audience
or the occasion, the greater your fear can be. You don't want to look
like a fool in front of the bosses at work, your peers, or even your
friends and relatives.
Not that important
One method to overcome this
fear is visualize the people as not all that important. An old trick
is to imagine that the audience is naked. Or perhaps imagine them all
in clown outfits. A ridiculous image will make them seem not all that
important.
Use positive approach
The problem with that
method is that it seems somewhat negative. If you look down at your
audience, it may be reflected in your speech. I prefer a more positive
approach.
You have to realize that
the audience is usually on your side. They want to hear what you have
to say and to see you do well. Before you give your speech, think of
them as caring, friendly people who want to hear you speak. It is just
like talking to your friends.
The positive image should
relax you and put you in a good frame of mind. The audience will also
read your body language and respond accordingly.
5. Relax
before speaking
When you are introduced to
speak, take three breaths to settle you down before you get out of your
chair. Then when you go up to the lectern, thank the person who introduced
you and then count to 10 before you start speaking.
This will allow the audience
to get settled and ready to hear you. It also is a way that you are
showing that you are now in control.
It is not easy to do, because
you have to look at the audience and panic may settle in. But if you
have made all the preparations, you can be sure of yourself and deserve
to be in control of the situation. It is a good feeling.
Applying
your skills
If you have to speak before
groups at school, work or in some organizations, it is good to practice
speaking more often to hone your skills and to reduce any fears you
may have. You can take classes in public speaking in night school, join
Toastmasters, or find other opportunities to speak to groups.
Toastmasters
A good place to practice
your speeches and to get helpful guidance in giving presentation is
through your local Toastmaster Club. It is a well-run organization that
helps millions of people hone their speaking skills and overcome any
fears they have in speaking.
In conclusion
Many people are afraid to
speak before a group or audience, because they fear looking foolish
in front of other people. The way to overcome the fear of speaking to
a group is to make sure you are well prepared, have some backup material
ready in case you forget your lines, visualize your audience as not
so important, and practice as much as you can before you speak.
1.
Why are most people afraid to speak to a group?
2.
How can you gain confidence in your speaking ability?
3.
How can you reduce fear of your audience?
If you got all three correct,
you are on your way to becoming a champion in public speaking. If you
had problems, you had better look over the material again.