Mark Schlarbaum

Tips For Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety

Janet Schlarbaum Fearless Speaking By Chris St. Pierre

Anxiety can be triggered by a number of environmental stressors and conditions, but many people experience excessive anxiety and stress that’s rooted in the fear of public speaking. Public speaking anxiety can be caused by inexperience on stage, fear of failure, and a number of other reasons. Most causes are based on the person’s fundamental belief system about the situation. Here are some simple ways to reduce public speaking anxiety and the risk of a panic attack on stage:

1. Prepare your speech ahead of time. Being unprepared will naturally increase the risk of experiencing public speaking anxiety, so do whatever you can to lower your risk of experiencing your fear when it’s time to go on stage. Practice your speech in front of a mirror or camera if you need to so you know exactly what the audience will see.

2. Practice ‘big belly’ breathing. The University Center Rochester (UCR) reports that there are several ways to manage anxiety associated with giving a speech or a public speaking presentation. Experts at the University point out the importance of ‘big belly’ breathing because fear typically slows down the breathe and makes it difficult to concentrate. ‘Big belly’ breathing will help to open up your lunges and encourage oxygen flow throughout your body.

3. Plan to move while you speak. Standing in a single, fixed position for the entire speech may trigger some public speaking anxiety, so plan to move while you are delivering your speech. Moving your hands and walking across the stage will also help you communicate your message better with the audience.

4. Take breaks and pauses. One of the mistakes that many people make when they’re prone to experiencing public speaking anxiety is that they don’t take the time to take a break or pause during the session. This is especially important when you’re using visual aids because you need to guide the audience from point to point.

5. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar. Caffeine can make you more nervous and jittery than you need to be when delivering your speech, and if you’ve experienced public speaking anxiety in the past, you should steer clear of caffeine and sugar. Both of these substances can make your heart race, make you sweat, and make it difficult to focus on the task at hand.

6. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. You don’t want to worry about tugging at your shirt or walking a certain way to look calm and composed when you’re on stage. Some people experience public speaking anxiety because they simply aren’t comfortable when they’re up on stage. Prepare your outfit beforehand so that you know what you’re going to look like on stage, and how you feel in your outfit.

Reducing public speaking anxiety can be a challenge, and it will take time and practice to overcome it. Use these tips to help reduce your risk of a panic attack before you go on stage so that you can deliver a professional speech or presentation that the audience will enjoy and remember you for.

How to Develop Confidence For Public Speaking

Janet Schlarbaum Good Public Speaker By Andrew S Clayton

Public speaking is the act of speaking on a particular subject in front of a group of people with the intention of influencing, entertaining or informing the listeners. In order to be a good speaker one must be able to influence people, change their opinion, and get the point across. But the important question is, how does one develop confidence for public speaking? Of the many public speaking skills o master, this is perhaps the most important & challenging.

Here are some excellent tips for you to successfully become a good public speaker:

• The first and the foremost secret is to be always well prepared for the speech. Be hundred percent sure of your content and know exactly what you are going to say to your audience. And always know a little more than what is on your speech. This way, you gain confidence as you go along because you know what you are talking about.

• Time your speech well. You will be extra confident if you plan exactly when you will start and finish.

• Even if you are a skilled speaker, you are bound to feel nervous sometimes. Don’t worry, stay calm and turn your nervousness into raw energy that you can use while delivering your speech.

• Relax a bit before the speech. Take a few deep breaths through your nose and let the tension melt away.

• Know your audience well and interact with them before starting on your speech. This way you feel better while speaking. And as you spot familiar faces in the audience looking up to you, your confidence increases tenfold.

• Remember, stage fright is nothing but a manifestation of our lack of belief in our own self. So tell yourself that you are going to speak really well and you will.

• Focus more on the speech than the audience.

• Also, know the area where you are going to deliver the speech. The more comfortable you are in your surroundings, the more flow your speech is going to have. You will sound a lot more confident and at ease.
Always be energetic and alert while giving a speech as it livens up the atmosphere. Spectators look up to you as someone who is very sure of what he is speaking.

• Your body language defines your personality. So don’t slouch, smile excessively or fiddle with your hair or hands. Be confident and maintain a right posture with your head upwards.

• Remember no one really knows how tensed you might be. So even if you make a mistake or an error, move on and don’t let it break your flow. This will maintain your confidence. Smile and stay focused.