A phobia, or anxiety, of public speaking is common to most people throughout the world.  Many of us would rather communicate by email or phone than in front of a group of people.  Whether it’s large or small, standing in front of a group of people is psychologically difficult and it can often lead to physical discomfort, excessive sweating, and a rapid heartbeat.

There are many reasons why you might develop public speaking anxiety, which include low self-confidence, a lack of preparation, and fear of failure.  However, public speaking is a basic requirement for many jobs from sales, to public relations, to teaching.  If you don’t learn to deal with this anxiety, you’re likely to create excessive work stress, which can jeopardize your career.  Fortunately, there are many ways of overcoming your public speaking anxiety.

1. Take care when planning your speech.   Your presentation should be tailored to your audience and it should answer the question, “what’s in it for them?”  Don’t try to stuff too much information in the speech; if it’s 10 minutes long, don’t fit in more than three main points.  Finally, be sure to include a clear beginning, middle and end to the speech.

Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself; it helps listeners hear the main points.  You can experiment with a variety of different vocal techniques and body language, and use anecdotes to illustrate various concepts.

2. Prepare emotionally and mentally.  Meditation or yoga can help you to prepare physically and can help you learn to quiet your mind.  This helps control your public speaking anxiety.  It will also help control your breathing, which is critical for a confident and clear speaking voice.

3. Practice every chance you get.  This doesn’t just include reading your speech in front of a mirror.  That definitely helps, but there’s more you can do in everyday life.  Whenever have to talk to someone, such as a waiter or sales clerk, practice controlling your breathing and speaking with confidence.  Once you’re able to interact one-on-one with various types of people, you’ll begin to feel more confident speaking in front of larger groups and be well on your way to overcoming your public speaking anxiety.

Public speaking can be a powerful activity that can transform you.  As you increase your confidence making speeches, you will feel a heightened sense of pride and accomplishment, and the benefits of this will spill over into other areas of your life.

Excessive stress can be a critical factor preventing you from having the confidence to overcome public speaking anxiety.  Learn to defeat your stress and take back control of your life using