Fear of public speakingor anxiety public speaking is normal and natural. Even the best speakers do have them each time before their speeches. But you need to harness thefear of public speaking, so you can give powerful speeches or deliver that impressive presentation.
Here are ten useful tips on to prepare yourself better to overcome that dreadedfear of public speaking.
1.Know Your Material Inside Out. Make sure you know the topic very well. Take time to research and have more than enough materials. Incorporate humor, personal anecdotes, popular quotes, relevant current topics or headlines into your presentation.
2.Practice. After having outlined your speech, rehearse out loud with your supporting visual aids at home. Check the timing of your presentation. Add or reduce some of content as necessary. Use certain keywords as your hook in your speech.
3.Standby Humor. Or rather self-effacing humor. If you happen to make mistakes or goof up during your presentation, then use self-effacing humor to poke fun at your mistakes to divert or diffuse the situation. This is one of secret way of overcomingfear of public speaking.
4.Know Your Audience. Arrive earlier to greet some of the audience as they arrive. Exchange some pleasantries and get acquainted. You will be comfortable speaking to them later.
5.Know The Venue Well. Check out the place of your presentation. Walk around the room and familiarize with the place. Stand and look from different vantage points and make yourself feel at home, so to speak. Remember to check your equipment and visual aids.
6.Impactful Introduction. Walk up, smile and begin your speech with a bang. It can be a current joke, a startling statistics, or other related and relevant materials. Make it short and punchy. As they say: Well begun is half done.
7.Move And Deliver. Don't stand rooted to one spot. Move about and gesture with your hands if necessary and not forgetting your facial expressions. You don't need to over dramatize. Remember to smile.
8.Cover Up MistakesIf you do make any boo-boo. Don't panic and don't apologize profusely. Stay calm and you make use one of your prepared self-effacing humor to control the situation.
9.Deliver The Message. If you are well prepared, everything will fall in place as planned. Focus on the message of your speech. Talk to them as if you are sharing a conversation with friends. And before you know, it is over.
10.Learn From Experience. There is nothing like a real experience. As they say, if you want to learn how to dance, then you have to dance. Similarly with public speaking. Do it a few times, and you will find easier the following time around. Experience builds confidence. This is the ultimate way to overcome yourfear of public speaking.
