10 Fear Busters for Successful Public Speaking
Anxiety, nervousness and fear are all natural feelings and part of public speaking. Most famous public speakers experience the same feelings before delivering their information.
Here are some suggestions to break your fears and put you at ease:
1. Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early,walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
2. Know the audience. Greet some of the guests as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
3. Know your material. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary. Practice in front of someone.
4. Relax. Ease tension by taking deep breaths.
5. Visualize. See yourself as powerful, speaking with clarity, and self-assuredness.
See yourself delivering a successful speech. What you visualize you will create.
6. Realize that people will be sympathetic. You are in the most feared position by all people, public speaking! Talk to them as if they were all your best friends cheering you on. They are on your side.
7. Turn nervousness into power. Take the energy you are creating and channel it into your positive, successful, visualization and it will energize you.
8. Be Honest. Tell your audience (remember they are your friends) how nervous you are. Just once! They will relate to you and they will subconsciously go out of their way to smile, laugh, and support you more. This Really Works! (This is for a eulogy speech, not a business presentation, there's a difference!)
9. Concentrate on the message — not the medium. Remember your just telling a story, one that you wrote. Your nervousness will diminish.
10. Be confident. You can't fail. It's your story and you're the only one who knows how it goes. No matter what you say, it's right!