Tips to Overcome Public Speaking Nervousness

By Trevor Johnson

Public speaking is not an easy thing to do, wherever it takes place and whoever the speaker or the audience may be. Teachers admit they feel a bit nervous when they address a group of students they have never spoken to before and so does the president, no matter how well-prepared he is or how interesting the speech he is going to make might sound.

However, there are speakers who have learned to control their emotions and no longer feel awkward when hundreds of eyes are watching them. They have managed to overcome the fear and anxiety that public speaking used to trigger. How could one do that? Has it got anything to do with genes? Were they born to be more 'in control' than the rest of us? Of course not; what they do is educate their mind, continually preparing it to face the challenges of speech-making. They are not specially-endowed representatives of our species, but confident and motivated people who have learnt a couple of stratagems that make things easier for them. Here are some useful tips to overcome public speaking nervousness:

The first thing you should do is give up the belief that the speaker has to be perfect and he or she is not allowed to make any mistakes. We all do, but we must be prepared to correct them and we can never do that if we are in a state of anxiety. Even stuttering is all right if it happens a few times in your speech; the audience might assume you think faster than you can speak.

A speaker is supposed to know the subject very well and also to put his or her heart into that speech. If the audience feels the speaker's passion for the subject, a great deal of the trouble has vanished. You cannot charm your audience if you are not totally committed to what you are doing. And here comes another tip: you must assume that the audience is friendly, they have come to listen to you because they are really interested in what you are going to say and no one is there to judge you. Remember the last time you were part of the audience and your own attitude to the speaker. An audience is not the speaker's enemy unless he or she has come to attack them.

Believe it or not, the speaker's appearance is very important and you should never neglect it. If you look your best and are wearing professional-looking clothing, you will definitely feel great and the audience will sense that. They will see that special glow on your face and your self-confidence will result in the positive attitude of your listeners to you.

One last thing: don't forget to put a smile on! A relaxed and confident public speaker, who believes the audience to be a group of friendly and knowledge-thirsty citizens, ought to show some appreciation to the people who have come to listen to the speech. Smiling at them from time to time will maintain the friendly atmosphere in the hall and keep you connected to your listeners. A smile is worth a million words!

Discover how to overcome your public speaking anxiety and quell your public speaking nerves.

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Overcoming Nervousness When Speaking In Front Of A Crowd

By Michael Cortes

Michael Cortes is the Technology Coordinator at the Fort LeBoeuf School District, a speaker and a self-proclaimed “Life-long Learner.” Working with computer technology requires constant ...

I was recently asked this question...

---"When I am giving speeches at Toastmasters club, I am 100% focused on what I am saying and the thought of nervousness does not even enter my mind. However, when I am speaking in other situations, I feel I am not able to effectively carry over the skills I have developed in Toastmasters to my non-Toastmaster audience because all I can focus on is how nervous I become. Anyone had a similar experience or have suggestions as to how I can be an effective speaker in any situation?"---

What advise would you give? My answer was this...

That is not an unusual situation. My day job is at a public school, grades K through 12. Exposed to teachers all day, I was quite surprised when I heard how nervous teachers get speaking in front of the public, parents, school board, or even just other staff members. My thought process was "How can they be scared? They do this all day long?"

Well, it works out that when teachers are focused on the learning of their students, they are quite good presenters. But for some teachers, in front of other groups, they start to think about themselves and how they are going to appear. In other words, "what will they think of me?" This focus on "I" is what starts to create the nervous condition.

So, I would ask you, with your clubs, do they create a friendly condition that allows you not to worry about "I"? When you leave the club, do you start asking yourself "What will they think of me?"

Many people create a ritual, performed before a presentation, that ties a physical routine into a good mindset. This triggers you mind to think in a certain way. For example, whenever I get a good feeling about a presentation I rub my thumb and forefinger together. This associates my good feelings with that action. Then, when ever I am start to get nervous, I repeat that action, and my mind automatically starts to shed the nervousness.

Perhaps you could develop some action, or even a preparation routine. Routines remind me of my time in the Marine Corps. Every year, ever Marine is required to shoot a rifle for qualification. Five days of shooting at the same targets in the same order. On the fifth day, your score determines whether or not you qualify. We Marines would wake up and shower, dress, and travel to the range in the exact same manner. We would wear the same clothes, eat the same food,... I think you can see where this is going. We would change NOTHING that we had control over. This meant that Friday, we would be shooting under exactly the same conditions that we had practiced all week long. But the most interesting part, is something I did not realize till many years later. These actions put us in exactly the same mindset each day. They prepped out mind for the action ahead of us.

If you read the book "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell, you will discover that you can prep your mind to think in a certain way. The thoughts, books, and conversations before a written test can set the precedence for how you will perform. Ryan Stewart (a web geek, non-profit junkie, and future medical student living near Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife and two chihuahus) recommends using rituals before a class, as a way to prepare your mind for learning.

You can use this same type of prep, to get you thinking "I WILL do well on my presentation!"

Michael Cortes is the Technology Coordinator at the Fort LeBoeuf School District, a presentation coach, speaker and "Life-long Learner." Michael has taken a new look at life and examines each day for the lesson it contains.

Do you want to improve yourself? Michael can help you reach your goals. Do you want to be a better presenter? Need to add that little extra that allows you to rock your presentation, whether it be a sales proposal or report to the board of directors? Maybe you just need to polish yourself up in front of your constituency. There are many steps you can take to be more persuasive, more genuine, and create a better connection between you and your audience. By using more technique and less slides, Maybe you just need to polish yourself up in front of your constituency. There are many steps you can take to be more persuasive, more genuine, and create a better connection between you and your audience. By using more technique and less slides, Michael will help you create more power in your presentations.

You can visit Michael's website at http://www.michaelcortes.com

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