Communications Pro Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Public Speaking Fear’

According to a Gallup poll, more Americans fear public speaking than they do death. A full 96 million of those polled put public speaking at the top of their list of fears, followed by death as a close second.

Sometimes the fear is warranted. If you don’t develop your message and properly plan for your speech, you will have butterflies, dry mouth and a shaky voice. To relieve the tension, make sure you have put in the proper amount of planning and practice time for your talk.

On-Site
Once you are at the event, set up early, even if you have to set up, walk away, and come back at the appointed time. If you are using your own laptop for a PowerPoint presentation, make sure you have the proper cables to hook into a projector. If you are using someone else’s laptop, send them a copy of the PowerPoint well in advance to ensure that your version is compatible with their machine.

Co-present
If you have someone you can co-present with, it takes a lot of pressure off of you as the sole presenter. However, you must practice with the co-presenter to make sure you don’t step on each other’s toes. If you have access to a wire-free lavaliere microphone, you will be able to roam some and not be stuck presenting behind the podium.

Don’t Hide
Station yourself at or near the door to greet and get to know your audience. You might ask if you could sit in on the group’s meeting a month or so before your talk to get to know your audience.

Dealing with Stomach Butterflies
Do deep breathing exercises and repeat this mantra: “I am relaxed, confident, and calm.” Do not try to calm down by using alcohol or drugs. Also, the old saying of visualizing your audience in their underwear really doesn’t work.

Develop a strong opening statement that connects with the audience and memorize this statement. Make sure you have some Imodium or other anti-diarrhea medication on hand just in case you need it. Take it in advance of the speech if you feel your insides caving in. The last thing you want to do is excuse yourself to deal with intestinal issues.

Dry Mouth
Take a glass or bottle of water to the podium and take a gulp as you are being introduced. You might consider a small mint, like a Tic Tac, placed strategically inside your cheek. Do not suck on a full-size mint as you will only distract your audience. If all else fails, bite your tongue to stimulate saliva.

Wardrobe
You should wear comfortable and polished shoes – your feet help “balance” your voice. If wearing a tie, don’t tighten the knot too much as it will effect your breathing and intonation. Remove keys and change from your pockets so that you don’t jingle them and distract the audience.

Do not wear anything too flashy that might detract from your message; This includes low cut blouses, mini-skirts and dangling earrings. If you are not used to wearing high heels, then don’t try to on the day of your speech – you will be focusing on your aching feet and not your message. Control top pantyhose will inhibit your ability to breathe and relax.

Pregnant pauses
Ask a friend to count your “ums” and “ahs” and practice replacing them with pregnant pauses in which you simply breathe deeply for a second or two. Use pregnant pauses particularly while fielding questions, and definitely repeat the question so that the whole audience can hear it. Remember, a question is your opportunity to reinforce your message to the audience.

Practice, Practice, Practice
Sign up for a six-month membership at a local Toastmasters Club. At these meetings you can practice your speeches in a supportive environment. The more you present, the less you will stress when going to a podium.

The more you get used to doing presentations, the less stressful they will become. Even after doing hundreds of presentations, we still get a bit nervous before a presentation. After all, we are only human. Don’t be too hard on yourself.