Online Class: Motivational and Public Speaking 101

It is not unusual to have stage fright. In fact, almost all speakers, even politicians who must speak in front of large crowds and television cameras on an almost daily basis experience some sort of stage fright. However, professional speakers know how to channel their anxiety and use this rush adrenaline to their advantage. 

Strategies

Embrace your subject matter. Instead of thinking about how you are going to compare to the speaker before you or how you are going to be perceived as a speaker, concentrate on your subject matter. Get excited about it. Your enthusiasm will show and your speech will benefit enormously.

Realize that the audience is not your enemy. Get to know your audience before you arrive to deliver your speech. Do your homework. We will devote an entire chapter to this strategy because delivering a good speech is directly proportional to how well you know your audience. Remember that, in virtually all instances, your audience has sought you. They want to hear your speech because you are most likely speaking about a topic that interests them.

Remember that you are the expert. There is a reason why you were chosen to give the speech and not someone else; you are the expert. You know material that you are going to discuss. You might not have every word written down yet, but you instinctively know what you are going to say.

Strategies

Research your speech. The more you know, the more comfortable you will be. Writing a good speech does not just mean fine tuning it so that it has excellent grammar and style, although both of these considerations are very important. A well written speech is one that has all the elements that your audience is seeking. They may seek information, in which case you must have all the facts. They may seek to be entertained, and that will require research as well, knowing local politics or events is often a treasure trove of humorous material.

Strategies

Confront your fears. You need to understand your fear fully. What exactly do you think you will do or say incorrectly? Write it down. If you do not know exactly what you are afraid of, use stream-of-consciousness writing, write whatever comes to your mind, and do not worry about what it sounds like. After you have listed all your fears explicitly, examine each one and confront it. Do not let it overcome you. You are in charge. You may be surprised at some of the fears that you have written. Some of them will seem inconsequential after you have made the commitment to overcome them.

The audience does not know most of our fears.  We may think that every single person in the room is perfectly aware of every single imperfection in our voice, our pronunciation, our clothes, and so on. However, the absolute truth is that virtually every audience member will have no idea what you fear. Knowing this, and fully understanding it, is one of the most powerful weapons against fear of failure.

Picture yourself succeeding. Another strategy in combating fear of failure is simply to picture yourself in the opposite situation, success. If you firmly believe that you will trip on your way to the podium, you just might! We often have the will to make things happen if we firmly believe in them. So picture yourself in a confident, positive manner.  

General Strategies for Combating Stage Fright

Release some of your nervous energy. Exercise each day for a few days before your speech. On the day of your speech, take a walk and clear your mind. Physical activity will certainly help you calm down and channel your energy.

Do not show your hands while speaking. Leave your hands on the podium. There is no reason that people need to see them. If your hands are shaking slightly, you may become more nervous if you think people can see them. For this reason, your notes should also be kept flat on the podium and you should avoid using a hand held microphone. However, audience members do not typically perceive nervous body language to the extent that speakers think they do.

Breathe! Yes, breathing is important! Fast, shallow breathing will only make the adrenaline rush worsen. Take deep, slow breaths, and do not breathe through your mouth. Breathe through your nose in a slow, controlled manner.Speak slowly. Especially if you are a first time speaker, remember to speak slowly. In fact, what you may think is speaking far too slowly is probably the right tempo. We tend to speak far too fast when we are nervous.