Fear Of Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking is very near the top of the list of all fears - on a par with snakes and death.

What's really important to understand is that you can do something about it. I know this because I used to be very scared at the thought of having to give a speech - but now I don't find it difficult.

There are two elements to reducing fear - knowledge about what can be done, and improving your skills.

KNOWLEDGE

Tip 1 - Fear is concerned with your belief about future events. Often what we fear never happens. Or if it does happen, it's not as bad as we played over in our mind so many times.

Tip 2 - The key strategy is to train your mind so that, when you think about the speech you're going to make, you expect the speech to be a reasonably pleasant experience. The way to do this is to alter your belief about what will happen.

Tip 3 - It is possible to alter your beliefs. You do this by providing your mind with evidence to support a different belief - that you will enjoy making your speech. This may sound unlikely now, but why not give it a try. After all, the alternative is to carry on feeling scared. For more details on changing self limiting beliefs see our article on overcoming your fear of public speaking.

Tip 4 - Anyone can improve their public speaking skills. This includes you. One of the reasons for peeple's fear of public speaking is that no effort is made to improve skills. Imagine that you had never driven a car. Would you feel a bit scared about suddenly being called on to drive a car in heavy traffic?

SKILLS

Tip 5 - Practice your speech many times so you feel confident that you know exactly what you're going to say. Increased confidence means less fear.

Tip 6 - When you make a speech just be yourself. Sure put in some effort and enthusiasm but don't try to put on a show.

Tip 7 - Find a public speaking class. That's how I conquered my fear. It's great to improve your skills amongst people who have the same fear as you.

Tip 8 - You can improve your skills by playing a mental movie of the speech you'd like to make. Research has shown that 'practice in your mind' can improve your skills.

Tip 9 - Don't forget to read through all the tips on this web site!

Go to our guest article Overcome Fear Of Public Speaking by Patricia Fripp

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