Who Wants To Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety?
Public speaking anxiety is one of the most common fears experienced by the vast majority of people. As an example, a young man in his mid twenties was assigned to give a 5 minute presentation to a group of about 100 people. With seeming calmness he walked onto the stage, gripped the edge of the lectern and read his entire speech. When he was through, he picked up his notes along with the entire lectern and carried that whole thing off the stage! That’s an example of the speaking anxiety we’re talking about! The good news is that this fear can be overcome or, at least, controlled. What are other symptoms of such audience fear?
The anxiety experienced by some public speakers produces both physiological and emotional symptoms. Now, picking up the speaker’s stand and carry it off the stage is admittedly a somewhat extreme reaction. However some of the more common symptoms of this anxiety include a trembling voice, jumbled or fleeting thoughts, fidgeting with objects such as a speaker’s spectacles or a pencil. Other signs may include irregular breathing, a pounding heart and sweating profusely. But what are some causes of this audience fear and how can it be controlled?
Interestingly, preparation can play a part both in causing and in preventing this fear of speaking before an audience.
If a speaker does not understand his subject, does not have the facts well in mind and has no clear objective in speaking, his presentation will likely be a stressful experience both for him and his audience! So good basic preparation is a must to minimize anxiety when speaking to an audience.
On the other hand, perfectionism or preparing to an access can produce much anxiety in the speaker. This may happen because the speaker is so afraid to reveal his human weakness by making an error that he gets caught up in a futile attempt to eliminate all possible error. This is impractical and is bound to tire you out. The fact is, your audience has come to hear your speech because they want to receive information that can benefit their lives, not to see how word perfect you can be. So try to relax and speak naturally.
The less experienced speaker may write out his speech and read it word for word to his audience. This written speech is called a manuscript and there certainly is a proper time for it. However, you will find it more beneficial to prepare an outline of your speech, listing a few main points and any needed information such as figures and then speaking extemporaneously. This enables you to speak with greater naturalness and ease of expression. It improves audience contact and encourages your audience to relax and warm up to you.
Another effective way to control nervousness is to focus attention on adding value to your audience by searching out, organizing and presenting helpful information. This will shift the emphasis from thinking about yourself and will allow you to be more spontaneous as you speak with personal interest in others. Few things can build confidence more than the warm feeling that you have something of real value to impart to someone in need.
The young man mentioned at the outset who walked off the stage with lectern in hand shared that experience with an audience of 1500 people. He was then in his mid sixties and could look back over years of public speaking experience as he gradually learned to control public speaking anxiety. And you will do the same
