How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

February 25 2022 - Many people are afraid of public speaking in front of a large audience. Yet, not all fears are created equal, as some might struggle with slight nervousness while others may experience paralyzing panic.

Unfortunately, the fear cannot only impair their performance in front of an audience, but it may prevent a person from pursuing promotions or taking on additional responsibilities at work.

If you are one of the many people who feel less than confident when delivering a pitch, presentation, or speech, you will be pleased to learn there are solutions available to grow your confidence. Find out how to overcome your fear of public speaking.

Practice Your Public Speaking Skills

Practice is the key to growing in confidence, improving delivery, and engaging your target audience. If you feel comfortable doing so, ask loved ones to sit and listen to your presentation or speech and then ask for their honest feedback. They could pinpoint your strengths and spot weaknesses to eliminate. If you don’t feel comfortable delivering a presentation or pitch to a loved one, record a video of it and watch it back to identify where you’re going right or wrong.

Work on Your Breathing

Do you worry you ramble during a pitch, presentation, or speech? Working on your breathing could calm your nerves, improve your delivery pace, and allow an audience to keep up with you.

Focus on breathing calmly from beginning to end, which will relax your voice and help you deliver words and phrases with more confidence and less anxiety. Try to build up a rhythm when public speaking to maintain flow and engagement.

Use Powerful Language Techniques

Don’t underestimate the importance of using powerful language when public speaking. The greatest orators in history understood that words convey a message and trigger emotion in an audience. Plus, the right words can inject color and interest into your delivery, which will keep people interested in what you have to say.

After writing a speech or pitch, read through it and replace some boring words with more powerful language techniques. For example, choose phrases that include alliteration, use rhyme occasionally, and incorporate rhythmic repetition to improve the structure and flow. The clever tactics will sound good aloud, which will make you feel more confident in the content and your delivery.

Don’t Worry About a Moment of Silence

Many people worry about their minds going blank or losing track of what they are saying during a public speaking event. However, if the issues do happen, don’t worry. While the silence might feel like forever, it is likely only a few seconds long in reality. Instead, take a deep breath, compose yourself, and resume your speech or presentation. Your audience will be happy to wait, and they might not even notice you fumbled.

Public speaking is a normal fear that you can overcome with practice, patience, and hard work. Record yourself delivering a speech, use powerful language techniques to improve engagement, and take deep breaths during delivery to ease your nerves and boost your confidence.

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