3 Ways to Lose your Fear of Public Speaking
“Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” – Mark Twain
According to the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, the number one fear of people is public speaking. You may or may not have this fear, but chances are you do. In previous newsletters, I have talked about the vital importance of public speaking to your career. Would it greatly benefit you to become an excellent speaker? You bet it would.
Mark Twain also said, “There are two types of speakers: Those who get nervous and those who are liars.”
It’s true. All speakers are nervous. Excellent speakers though use their nervousness and fear to energize their talks. Read on and find out how you can also.
Practice the Way You Will Speak and Speak the Way You Practice
When I was in the Air Force, we had a saying, “We train the way we fight and we fight the way we train. Pilots and air crew were trained in as realistic an environment as actual combat. Fear of the unknown is a great fear amongst pilots and speakers. The remedy is to reduce the unknown.
The first way to reduce the unknown is to study your topic thoroughly. You must strive to be the smartest man or woman in the room on your particular topic.
Studying your topic thoroughly is necessary, but not sufficient. You have heard the saying, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice. Practice. Practice.” You must practice your presentation thoroughly until it becomes second nature.
Practice should also include having trusted friends or colleagues ask you every possible question an audience can ask you and practicing cogent and plausible answers. There should be no question asked in the actual presentation that you have not heard and have answered thoroughly repeated times.
I think now you realize the value of practice to lessen your fear of public speaking. But this is not enough. Becoming familiar with your presentation’s venue is essential also to lessening your fear of public speaking.
Practicing your presentation is necessary, but not sufficient. You also need to become familiar with your presentation’s venue.
Become Thoroughly Familiar with Your Presentation’s Venue Before You Speak
When you first started high school, you were fearful of many things. However, as the days, weeks, and months passed, you became familiar with the building, your classmates and your teachers. This familiarity lessened your fear of high school. You can use the same principle to lessen your fear of public speaking. It is called gradual desensitization.
Before the actual presentation, preferably at least a day before, become familiar with your presentations venue. Travel to the venue and become familiar with the stage, the lectern, the number of seats in the audience, the lighting, the microphone (on the lectern or a lap mike), etc. You get the idea.
Practice your speech if possible with the mike on and the lighting as it will be for your presentation. The more you can become comfortable with the venue, the more your fear will lessen.
Becoming familiar with your presentation’s venue is also necessary, but still not sufficient. Another great way to lessen your fear is to realize there is a great many people before you during your presentation that want you to succeed.
Realize the Audience Wants You to Succeed
Take great comfort when you speak, because the audience wants you to succeed. Why? Well, put yourself in your audience’s position. They pay in dollars and time to come and listen to you speak. Do you think they want you to give a terrible presentation? Of course not.
There is a quid pro quo however. In return for the audience’s money and time, the speaker is obligated to diligently prepare for the presentation. I think that is a great deal for you, the speaker, and the audience.
Beginning speakers and experienced speakers sometimes sabotage their presentation by apologizing for forgetting a section of the presentation, mumbling a few words, or forgetting a quote.
Here is the secret. The audience doesn’t know you committed a presentation faux pas until you tell them. Don’t tell them. They have come to hear an enthusiastic, organized, and, most of all, entertaining presentation. Give it to them. Yes, your technical presentations can be entertaining. More on this in another newsletter.
If you, (1) practice the way you speak and speak the way you practice, (2) become thoroughly familiar with your presentations venue before your speak, and realize the audience wants you to succeed, you will be well on your way to greatly reducing your fear, delivering excellent presentations, and, maybe, enjoying presenting your thoughts to your audience.
Do these things and be well on your way to advancing your career!
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Looking for professional services to help you significantly increase your influence with your audiences? Contact DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI) at info@speakleadandsucceed.com or (703) 815-1324