6.8 OVERCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING FEAR

Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. A person who is talkative in nature doesn't mean that he is great at public speaking, so it varies from person to person. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a shivering voice. But with preparation and persistence, one can overcome the fear and address the audience effectively. However, there are some techniques to help to overcome the fears of public speaking.

  • Organize all the thoughts and materials that helps to become much more relaxed and calmer. Clear and organized thoughts can greatly reduce the speaking anxiety because it increases the concentration on delivering the speech.
  • Practice and prepare extensively for delivering the speech. Rehearse every time before handling the stage, lay down the script but do not memorize every single word instead, have an outline of the speech and speak accordingly
  • Keep it natural and the flow of thoughts should have the originality. It helps the speaker to answer any random question thrown by the audience.
  • Rehearse in front of the mirror and pay attention to facial expression, gestures, eye contact, body movements and appearance. Use of good effective non-verbal communication helps to gain confidence to deliver the speech gracefully.
  • Know your topic so well as nobody can. The better understanding and research of the topic done by an individual helps a lot at the time of expressions.
  • Deep breathing concept also helps a lot at the time of public speaking. It is an excellent technique to overcome the anxiety and fear at the time of public speaking.
  • Channelise the nervous energy into the positive ones just by the positive approach and outcomes. This helps to build up the confidence and different kind of audience.
  • Use the silent technique, at the time of presentation to listen to the query of the audience and answers with an impartial outlook.
  • Ignore all the flaws when presenting on the stage. If it happens to forget some points, just ignore the fact and continue delivering the content with effectiveness.
  • Always built a connection with the audience so the presentation will be less fretful because of the ease getting from the audience. It can be attained by putting the slightly impersonal tone to make connection with the audience.

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