Shot In The Butt With Fear: Public Speaking Anxiety
Anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling of fear or worry that is often associated with a particular situation, such as the anticipation of giving a speech. As the modern workplace becomes increasingly competitive and uncertain, more people are experiencing anxiety at work resulting in high levels of stress, which can hinder performance.
Public speaking has a reputation for being one of the most stressful situations any human could endure. The pressure, fear and anxiety of standing before crowds and making a speech that can either represent everything proud or shameful about oneself is enough to give anyone palpitations.
However, there are ways to make public speaking less stressful, some of which are discussed here:
Focus on your breathing patterns while preparing your speech. Remember that the first stage of any speaking engagement is to relax and take several slow breaths through the mouth. Practice this at least 30 or 40 times without any emotional thoughts so that you can focus on your breathing rhythms. Once you are in front of the audience, try to breathe slowly and deeply until your body starts to relax. This will also be useful before or during a break in the speech.
Learn to spread your focus evenly across all parts of the body. Try and relax the facial muscles by pursing your lips and noticing any emotion that is there. While doing this, continue breathing slowly and deeply from your stomach and observe how your face feels. It will improve your ability to control your facial muscles, which will make you appear more relaxed.
Dress appropriately. You may not want to dress in a certain way, or you may be forced to perform in a suit and tie, but it's important that you feel comfortable when speaking in front of a crowd. Make sure to choose clothes that are appropriate for the occasion and make the most of your appearance while preparing your speech.
Practice your speech. The best way to reduce speech anxiety is to present often before a small group of friends and family. By practicing regularly, you will soon get used to making speeches and your nerve endings will grow accustomed to the feeling of being on stage. Practicing regularly will also help you perfect your presentation.
Get essential feedback on your speech delivery and content by practicing it in front of a few more people. You could then work on any areas that were weaker in the speech delivery by acquiring feedback from the people who heard your practice speeches.
While practicing, be aware of your body language while presenting. If you find that you have an uncomfortable posture, try stretching your feet out and lower your stance to the ground. While doing this, keep breathing deeply. Remember to stay relaxed even when you are walking onto the stage, as this will show the audience that you are confident about being in front of them.