how do I overcome my fear of public speaking?
hotreez718 asked:
Im not a shy person or something. Its just that I get really nervous when I speak in front of crowds. There? also is affecting my decision about going back university 2. I get nervous when I speak before the class a project that I did or when the teacher is directed me to answer a question. I have some problems socializing with the main problem of though.my are that I get real nervous when I speak in front of the class. As overlapped this fear of public speaking?
Ward
Im not a shy person or something. Its just that I get really nervous when I speak in front of crowds. There? also is affecting my decision about going back university 2. I get nervous when I speak before the class a project that I did or when the teacher is directed me to answer a question. I have some problems socializing with the main problem of though.my are that I get real nervous when I speak in front of the class. As overlapped this fear of public speaking?
Ward
April 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
who is this?
April 10th, 2008 at 1:13 am
practice practice practice
April 10th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Speak in public.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
By speaking publicly, sorry, but it’s the only way. I feel your pain, though.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Look for a local “Toastmasters” club. It’s a club dedicated entirely to practising speaking in front of people. Everyone at these meetings is there to learn and practise so there is no judgement and is lots of fun.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
practice emphasizing your points in private
April 20th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Take a Dale Carnegie course.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Pretend you’re speaking to a group of friends at an informal gathering.
April 26th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
ignore the nervous feeling and what everyone else thinks of you and just do
April 27th, 2008 at 3:24 am
if you have one friend in the class. then Just look at them and act like your have a casual convo.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
A Dale Carnegie course or two helped me a lot but it was expensive.
You might look up Toastmasters. I think it is a free program that encourages public speaking.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:56 am
Check this out. You are afraid because you feel that you will be out of control and that you will be judged. No one likes to be judged.
Think this. First you are presenting. So you are IN control of the situation. Your audience is at your beck and whim. Set it up so that you control the whole time. Be very methodical when you present. I used to be scared like you. I got up and thought, this isn’t so bad. Take a deep breathe, smile to yourself and think, you know what, these people are here and they will do as I ask. Think boring. when you stand there, listen to the audience, smile, look around, be silent, feel how good it is to be able to compart a little of yourself to others. Think, well here I am and this is gonna blow their minds ( and it will). Be dynamic, be confident because that is what you really are, you are yourself.
Prepare, prepare, practice before a mirror, before your pet, before anyone that will listen to you. Smpathize with your audience, it makes for better listeners. Remember that they really appreciate what you’ve got to say. Remember that what you have to say is important or you wouldn’t be wasting their time. So again prepare.
We tend to want to contol the whole presentation. What about letting the audience help you out with the presentation. Let them know that you will be asking them to assist you with the presentation. Pass out the necessary material beforehand. This sets them up.
If you mess up, guess what, no one will know and really you can’t mess up because you have set it up so that you will succeed. If you feel that you are going to “lose it” stop, look around and think, No way, I set this up and I am in control. They appreciate what I am doing.
Put a piece of non-sugary candy in your mouth to cause saliva to flow. Have a glass of water to drink, take your time, pace yourself, breathe, relax those shoulders, scan, be silent as necessary, be in control.
No for this fear, it can’t happen now because you set it up, you control it and you will succeed!!
I had to present my dissertation in a conference with my audience being doctoral students and doctors being there just to judge and challenge my dissertation. With what I told you, no sweat. I did it and I did it well. So can you!! Move forward and let your audience know that you appreciate them for letting you be yourself and sharing something that is important to you. I look forward to hearing how it went… You do not need luck, cuz you’re in complete control.See you have already won!!
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 am
I know it’s corny to say, but it takes practice to overcome fear. I am going through the same thing, I **** public speaking. It just takes practice and just getting through it to overcome it. I think everyone has some degree of fear of public speaking, and noone ever fully overcomes that fear. A small part of that fear is always there. It’s just being comfortable enough up there to get through it.
May 4th, 2008 at 11:20 am
HUMOR!!! Like you I was terrified of speaking in public. The best way for me to overcome my phobia was to throw some humor in my big speeches/lectures. Once you get people laughing a little their hooked. Then there is a good balance between speaker and audience. You just need to get comfortable and establish a “relationship” when speaking. If you “become” like their friend its easier for both parties
May 4th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
try to speak in public as often as you can
and try to just not think about it while you are speaking
also think of it as you are just speaking to your friends
or just take a shot before you have to speak haha
May 5th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
It really helps if you let the class know beforehand that you’re nervous. TONS of people get nervous before they have to speak in public, so they’ll probably emphathize with you! Also, if you’re doing a planned presentation, go to the room early and give your speech to the empty room. You’ll start to become more comfortable with your surroundings, and it will make things easier. Also, have plenty of water on hand and everything else you feel you may need.
If you can, give your first speech while sitting DOWN in front of the class, and slowly work up to standing. It’s a lot less nerve-wracking when you’re sitting down! Really, practice makes perfect — but taking baby steps will really help you. Because you’re not even in school yet, try to speak to groups you’re comfortable with right now (groups of friends, family members, etc) in situations that “feel” like public-speaking situations. Say, gather your family/friends in the living room and stand up and talk about something, just for fun. If you can do THAT, then move up a step and do something just a tad bit more challenging!
May 6th, 2008 at 3:29 am
Maybe you should start easy. Like first just make random speaches to your pet and then maybe your friends and you can also record yourself and watch how good you are improving. Just keep practicing. There are also Public speaking programs you can go to. It may cost a bit but it’s totally worth it! Just Face your fear and some day you’ll be the best public speaker!!! Good luck
May 7th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Don’t feel bad-this is one of the most common fears. One way that helps, is make sure you are always prepared for class. I mean that you study until you have the material down cold. This works for other kinds of public speaking, as well. You can take comfort in the fact that most of your audience is pulling for you and want you to do well. The rest of them don’t matter. Another thing to do is to pretend you are just having a conversation with your friends, since you don’t seem to have a problem in that kind of situation.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Are you nervous when with a large group of your friends?
Could you get a bunch of your friends together (People that you can knowingly make an @ss out of yourself in front of.) and give a speach or read a poem or something like that?
If you can practice in front of people you have gotten drunk and stupid with then it might be able to help with your fear overall…
Then, when you get up on stage, you can pretend that everyone in the group is someone that has seen you party!
That whole “Underwear” trick is crap…
When I get nervous I just keep telling myself “No matter how bad I might ***** up, it won’t really matter in the long run. They will forget about my mistake in 5 min’s and life will go on.”
Act as if their opinions of you don’t matter… You get nervous because you think they will judge you… But if you ACT confident then your brain will follow.
Good luck to you… I wish I could tell you why I can do anything in front of anyone… But I guess I was just born this way! LOL!
You can do it!
May 12th, 2008 at 6:15 am
My most harrowing speaking experience came when my first big speech was in front of over 500 people, most of which were gemstone experts, about the state of the industry. I finally figured out that I was there to teach them something, and the thought of helping people, and concentrating on how I looked in the mirror for 5 rehearsals pretty much prepared me. I noticed that I felt better when I knew where to put my hands, and didn’t lean on the podium. Have a healthy and happy new year!
May 14th, 2008 at 11:57 am
The only way to overcome a fear is to face it head on–do more public speaking. Ease up when in front of the group. Tell yourself as you walk up to the podium that the crowd you are speaking to is a group of your peers, not judges. Half of them probably couldn’t do what you’re doing. It ’s natural to be nervous during your intro. Just relax, smile, and talk as if you’re talking to friends, and then you’ll glide through the rest of the speech without problem!
May 17th, 2008 at 4:09 am
fake it to make it:) they dont care what your saying most of the time. lol.
May 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Hold something in your hand such as maybe a paper clip or a small pin. And as your speaking play with the item in your hand. It will help take the tension off your nervousness. This helps some people, not all. Should try it, see if it works. If not, picture everyone naked, and it will help you calm down. Just dont laugh or giggle. Stand your ground with your pointed speech and you may possibly get where you wanna be. If none of these work, ask a counselor. They may be able to help too.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
practice it so u have it memorized to the tee. and also practice in front of your friends/family . with all of that u can also find a focus point in the back of the class then just keep looking towards it to focus your mind but yet give some eye contact so its not like u are being rude while u are up there.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:17 am
You have no idea how many people are just like you.
I was, too. Even after being a Sunday School teacher, band member, singer, and Youth Pastor, (all very public positions), I never have been able to shake the butterflies from the stomach.
Since you addressed going back to school, I will touch upon that.
Recently, I took a college public speaking class and it was the most fun I have had in a while. We learned a lot about communication. It was really very interesting.
I found that the better I knew my subject, the better I addressed the class. If I went in unprepared, people noticed.
So, be prepared!
I thought beforehand about how the class would respond to different statements.
I thought about what I might say to get them to respond the way I wanted them to respond.
I listened closely when others gave their speeches, watching what worked and didn’t work.
I also learned a little about the people in the class and tried to incorporate things they said into my own speeches.
For example, if someone gave a speech on a similar subject the day before, I might start a point by saying, “Sue said yesterday that the Reagan Administration was good for America, and I agree, but she failed to mention that he also. . . ”
Doing this creates a little controversy and attention in your speech and makes people want to listen to you. It might also cause Sue to come up to you afterwards and want to learn more about what you have to say.
Right now is the perfect time to watch the politicians running for office. These guys are the pros when it comes to delivering speeches in front of people.
Remember that when you get up to the front of the class,
“You have the power to make things happen.”
Keep that in mind, and before long, you could be working the class like a pro!
May 20th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Don’t plan what you’re going to say, to the greatest extent possible. This might help:
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 am
Get more information about some ways to overcome your fear, anxiety and phobia at my profile.