Public speaking and why it affects us so much

While it gets easier the more you do it, as they say, “practice makes perfect”, getting nervous before getting up to speak in front of crowd affects the majority of the population. And yes, there’s even an official term for this fear—Glossophobia or “speech anxiety.”

But beyond the nerves, public speaking is an art—a skill set that you can continually improve on each time you stand up and deliver.  Even for the best public speakers, there’s always room for improvement.

So, without further ado, here’s my breakdown of the best tips and techniques for 1) getting over your fear of public speaking and 2) how to become a better speaker in general.

1. Know your stuff.

Before you get up there, you should feel overprepared. For someone who has a fear of public speaking, it’s better to feel like you did too much rather than too little. So, until you get more comfortable, go above and beyond what’s required and consider all and every angle. It’s better if you don’t end up covering everything you prepared, than to get asked to cover something you haven’t prepared.

2. Engage in repeat exposure.

If you are at all nervous about public speaking in all likelihood, you will try to avoid it like the plague. That means you probably don’t volunteer for public speaking opportunities or other projects that would require you using your presentation skills or getting in front of a crowd and talking. But the opposite is true if you truly want to conquer this speech anxiety, you’ve got to get going and have a go.

Start by committing to smaller forms of public appearances. Volunteer to present at the next school, college or work event and ask if you can present an idea you have rather than writing it up as an assignment or proposal. If all else fails, sign up for something like Toastmasters, where you’ll have a formal space to practice that’s low pressure.

3. Practice in front of others.

Yes, it’s awkward to mock present, but it’s going to help. Ask a friend or trusted colleague to listen to you run through your speech or presentation. It helps to give them some guidelines as to what you are looking at: i.e.  did your argument or presentation make sense? How was your body language? Did you speak too fast? Jot down notes and then run through it again.

The alternative to this is to video yourself … the same principle applies, set up your camera and video yourself doing your presentation. Review yourself but also ask a friend or colleagues for feedback. They will likely see different aspects of your presentation than what you see and hear.

4. Create a pre-event destressing routine.

Before you get on stage (or walk into the conference room), find a way to slow yourself down. That might be deep breathing, taking a walk around the block, or picturing where you’ll be after the meeting.

5. Consider the worst-case scenario.

Chances are, it’s not that bad. Thinking about what’s giving you the anxiety, i.e. what’s causing this fear, this is also the best way to take away its power. Are you afraid you’re going to get demoted or fired? Or that people will laugh? Close your eyes and imagine the worst-case scenario. You’ll be surprised by how exaggerated those thoughts have probably become. By taking a step back, you take away the power.

6. Find a friendly face.

Don’t focus just on the crowd. Instead, stick to focusing on your material. That said, if possible, it helps if you can connect with at least one person in your audience. Maybe it’s that colleague who helped you run through your presentation. It might also be a stranger in the front row who’s smiling and nodding a lot. This gives you someone to connect with on a one-to-one basis so that you’re not overwhelmed with looking too many places at once.

7. Slow it down.

You’re going to want to talk fast, and that will make you feel like you could slip up at any moment. That old advice about slowing down when presenting is a cliché for a reason. So, remember to slow down. And don’t forget to respect silences. If you appeal to your audience with a question, give them roughly four times as long as you’d expect to volunteer a response. A little quiet time in every presentation is OK. You want to give them chance and time to let all the information you’ve presented sink in.

Now you’ve practiced and it’s the day or the night before. Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you feel good about the upcoming experience.