How to Fight Stage Fright

 

A lot of people consider public speaking a very stressful activity. You have to say the right things the right way. Hundreds and thousands of eyes are glued on you. A lot of people are there waiting for your mistake. Don’t let them get the better of you. Here are the top ten tips to get away from public speaking fears.

 

1. Prepare the Speech

 

You have to know what you’ll be saying. Read books, current events digests or any material related to your topic before you write your speech. Once you’ve read about your subject, write the key topics on a small piece of paper. This will serve as your guide while speaking. You can glance on it while speaking to remember your key points.

 

An on-the-spot speech is not recommended especially if you are not a professional public speaker. However, memorizing your speech is also not recommended. It is hard to recover once you miss a word. Memorization also takes a lot of time and practice.

 

2. Know Your Audience

 

Bear in mind that these people will be listening to your speech. They will comment about everything you say. Be careful with your choice of words.

 

For instance, if your audience involves children, don’t use words that only adults can understand. Don’t talk about very serious topics. Make sure the words, or the jokes (if you wish to include any) you use are not offensive to the audience. Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable if you disappointed your audience?

 

By knowing your audience, you can assess how you should write your speech.

 

3. Know the Occasion.

 

You have to be updated on current events since this will greatly affect your speech. You can’t just say anything that comes to your mind. Know the reason why you will be speaking in front of the audience.

 

Make sure that what you say is related to the subject. You also have to be able to say something your audience can relate to. Knowing what’s happening around you can take the pressure off of you.

 

4. Don’t Lie.

 

Being sure of what you are saying can boost your confidence. Don’t talk about theories that were never formulated, or facts that were never recognized. Never invent events that never really happened.

 

You don’t need to always impress the audience with a nice story. If you want to tell an inspiring story, you can always adopt one from a book or ask for a friend’s story. If you do this, make sure to acknowledge your source.

 

5. Remember that you are a Good Speaker

 

This is where confidence and self-esteem comes in. If you are not confident, how can you pull it off? Dealing with things like public speaking can be easy and fun. Just remember that achieving a level of comfort in public speaking should start from within.

 

If you are having a hard time telling yourself that you are a good speaker, try closing your eyes before speaking. Take this opportunity to imagine the audience giving you a round of applause, laughing with you and listening intently to everything you say.

 

6. Think Happy Thoughts

 

If you keep thinking about bad things like failing in front of a crowd, being caught in a mental block or tripping over your own feet on the stage, then you are thinking about things you shouldn’t be.

 

As a public speaker, you have to think happy thoughts before you go onstage. Think of happy memories and of anything that relaxes you. This will help you feel more comfortable with yourself. It will also help you relieve stress and tension.

 

7. Triple Check

 

By triple checking, you reassure yourself before facing the crowd. This means, too, that you should be at the venue half an hour early before you are scheduled to speak. Take this opportunity to bond with the other participants.

 

Triple checking includes observing everything around you. Focus on the immediate things taking place around you because you can use these as part of your speech. You can sound spontaneous by mentioning at the introduction of your speech things that you’ve just observed during the event.

 

8. Pretend You Are Talking to Friends

 

You are not alone with this problem. Even the seemingly-confident public speakers who’ve walked the planet once dealt with trembling lips, shaky knees and a fast pulse. If you are wondering how they got over there, here is the secret: pretend you are talking to your friends.

 

If you are chatting with your friends over cups of coffee, you are comfortable and at ease. If you want to treat your audience as friends who you usually share drinks with on Friday nights, then do so. This will help you become more confident and comfortable when speaking in front of a lot of people.

 

9. Do Something about It

 

One symptom of stage fright is trembling legs. If this happens, lean your legs on the table, lectern or podium to relax them. If this doesn’t work, try moving your legs a bit. Don’t overdo your leg movements because this can distract the audience.

 

Be more relaxed on stage by not holding the microphone during the first minute of your speech. Do not hold your notes, too. If you hold the microphone or your notes, the audience will see your hands shaking. It is also a great idea to keep a bottle of water in front of you because you can take quick drinks during your speech to relax yourself. (Tips on how to overcome stage fright)

 

10. Practice Speaking.

 

You can perform this by speaking to yourself in front of a mirror. By practicing in front of a mirror, you will know how you look in front of an audience. You’ll be able to correct your facial expressions and mannerisms.

 

Observe how you show emotions. Practice during the speech when to smile and when to appear serious. Now that you know how you look like when you speak, and what to change, you will definitely be more confident as a public speaker.

 

Remember, you don’t have to be a genius to be a good public speaker. You may be one of the many people who think that public speaking is only for witty, calm and smart individuals.

 

Public speaking is for anyone who has something important to say. If you practice these key principles in fighting the fears of public speaking, you will realize that public speaking doesn’t have to be stressful at all. For more information regarding this article, read how to get rid of public speaking (glossophobia).