Public Speaking Fears

09-01-24 00 / episode: 358

Glossophobia… That's a big word.

I've never seen this word before.

In fact, I didn't know it until today.

It means a fear of public speaking.

What can you do if you feel scared about public speaking and you have to make a speech? Let's take a look at some of these things.

Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 358.

Today's episode is about public speaking and

more importantly the connected anxiety.

You can't eliminate

Sadly, enough, I discovered that you can't actually eliminate a fear of public speaking.

That means that if you have this fear it's going to be part of you.

On the surface, this sounds pretty bad.

On the other hand, if you look at it from a positive stance, you can use that fear as your source of power.

Sort of the aikido of public speaking.

Turn the negative into a positive.

That brings us to the next topic.

You can manage it

Once you learn how to manage your fear, you can turn the fear around.

It can provide us with quite a bit of energy.

As the fear is coming on, you can use that energy or power and change it into, let's say, excitement.

Another thing is to reduce the fear.

If the fear is overwhelming and paralyzes you, then you're no good.

On the other hand, an appropriate amount of fear can heighten your arousal.

It can cause you to focus, and do better than if your fear was not there.

Arousal is very very important for peak performance.

Some ideas for managing it

How do you manage your fear of public speaking? You can look at this in generally three steps.

The first step is getting ready.

The second step is the actual day of the presentation and then the third step is the actual presentation itself.

This means doing all the preparation for the speech.

You have to write it

you have to remember it and

You have to practice it.

You have to know the audience.

You have to set your intent for success.

If you have lots of preparation time, then start exercising because exercise reduces stress in general throughout your life.

You should eat properly and have a nice balanced diet

with some proteins and some complex carbohydrates,

don't go for simple sugars.

And above all get a good sleep.

On the day of the presentation make sure you eat several hours before the talk not right before the talk.

Put on clothes that are comfortable and appropriate for your situation so you feel good about your clothing or at least you don't think about your clothing.

You might want to talk with friends before the speech to reduce your adrenaline.

You could also do some deep muscle relaxation like a massage or perhaps some rhythmic breathing.

Myself, I prefer to do box breathing, because that can really help me manage just about any emotional state I might be feeling,

if you have a chance, practice your speech once more before you actually give the speech.

When you're making the speech, use the podium to ground you.

Put your hands on the podium and press down or grip the podium.

These kinds of motions can reduce your anxiety.

Use techniques to change your audience's attention away from you and onto something else like a powerpoint presentation, or handouts, or some other object on the stage.

Try to use humor, because that can make you and the audience more comfortable and relaxed.

If you are in a room, you might want to move around and walk around in the room as you give the speech.

Physical movement can really help you manage your nervousness.

Vary your voice.

By using a faster pace, or a slower pace, you're putting your concentration and attention on your body instead of the audience.

This can help you relax even more.

Whatever technique you use, make sure that you practise the technique in advance.

Trying to make a speech while you're also trying to practise an

unfamiliar technique will only increase your nervousness so the best thing you can do is practice practice practice!