Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

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Fear of Public Speaking

Most of us have been there before. Standing in front of the class, palms sweating, feeling feverish, and finding it hard to breathe. Public speaking is one of the most common fears. According to some, this fear may stem from our primordial fear of being watched by predators or a fear of being judged. I’m not sure about the explanation about being watched by predators, but I agree with the fear of being judged.

My worst fear regarding public speaking happened when I was in grade school. This was just before the explosion of computers (I’m dating myself). At any rate, I was standing in front of the class with a series of posterboards stacked in front of one another. I’ve forgotten what the subject was, but that was never really important since this was a life-changing incident.

I started giving my presentation and laid the first posterboard on the table. Not long after, the second posterboard fell to the floor. I picked it back up and heard a few snickers. I started sweating, but I never stopped talking. Then the second posterboard fell over ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER POSTERBOARDS.

The entire presentation was now out of order and on the floor.

Luckily, I was able to reorder everything, but by that time, I was already a sweaty mess. I still presented the material because I knew it pretty well (preparation is one of the key points of defeating this fear- I just got lucky). At the end of the ordeal, my teacher looked at me and said, “You’re getting an A. Not only did you know your presentation, but you pushed through to the finish.”

The lesson I learned from my worst fear come true was that I didn’t die. This fear is not going to kill you no matter how sweaty and clumsy you look in front of people. Sure, some people may judge you and laugh, but you’re going to live.

Here are some suggestions on how to overcome your fear of public speaking:

1) Be organized- I was organized until everything fell over. Don’t use loose posterboards. Take my word for it.

2) Practice- Practicing can help you keep moving forward if the presentation itself, whether paper or electronic, fails.

3) Breathe deeply- Your breath might be shallow as you get closer to standing in front of the group.

4) Make eye contact- As hard as it might seem, looking directly at someone as you speak helps by simulating a one-on-one conversation. Only do this for a moment and then find someone else to focus on. Keep moving from one person to another.

5) Reframe- The presentation isn’t about you. It’s about helping or educating your audience. They might be there because they have to be. Some people might tune you out but is that bad?

Remember the worst-case scenario? You can’t physically be hurt by being judged. Keep that in mind and you will be fine.

Benefits of Public Speaking

Now let’s look at some of the benefits of becoming a good public speaker:

A) Increased confidence- when you defeat one of your fears, you’ll be more confident. You will look, walk, and speak more confidently. Naturally, that could lead to…

B) Career advancement- your interviewing skills will improve. Confident speakers captivate audiences, and you’ll have a better chance of landing that next job or securing that project.

C) Network expansion- the more you speak in front of groups, the more people you’re going to meet which means increased opportunities.

Some final words- this fear is in your mind which means you CAN defeat it. You’re not engaging in mortal combat with a wild animal in the Roman coliseum. I know you can do this, and I think you know it too.

The writer has two graduate degrees: one being in mental health counseling.

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