How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking by Allyson Reyna

There will most likely be a point in your life in which you will have to public speak. This may be for a class presentation, a wedding toast, or a banquet. Whatever the case may be, you should always be ready to speak in front of others. However, fear sometimes gets in the way of confidence which intervenes with the overall message you are attempting to tell. To combat that fear, here are some ways to overcome your fear of public speaking…

·      Organize and preparation are key to a good speech. When your materials are organized it helps you to relax and stay calm. The reduction of anxiety is made by keeping your thoughts clear and organized. Make sure you do not procrastinate because this is a speech. A speech must have a good amount of preparation time which includes practice time.

·         Practice. Practice. Practice. Without practice, your speech will never be up to par. Practice in front of the mirror, by recording yourself, or saying it in front of others you trust. Then practice again. But don’t over practice because this could cause a rigidness in your speech and a fumbling in your words since you did not say it the way you practiced it. Keep your speech flowing nicely and casually but not memorized word for word. This is done by an immense amount of practicing.

·         Keep your speech rhythmic and flowing cohesively. By establishing a good speaking pattern, your fear will be decreased since you have an overall tone which goes hand in hand with one another. When your tone is broken up by differences this increases anxiety since it is not unified. We are creatures of habit which flows into sameness, even in our speaking. This means we must obtain a pattern which flows throughout the duration of the speech.  

·         Do not worry what others may think. This is easier said than done and you have probably heard this more times than you can count. However, it is an extremely important aspect to speaking. When worry enters your mind, words become fumbled and disordered. For the entirety of your speech, the elimination of fear and rejection must be completely extracted from your mind. Confidence is key when speaking. Just know that you having the courage to speak in the first place will ultimately lead you into the courage you need to complete your speech.