How to Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking makes many people nervous. Perhaps a past experience was awful--extreme anxiety caused you to stutter and blush, and you were barely able to hold your thoughts. You don't want that experience again, but you have to give a talk for school or work. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your public speaking anxiety.

Instructions

• 1

  Channel your nervousness constructively. Remember that a moderate feeling of tension is normal, and can actually help you perform better under pressure. Even experienced speakers feel nervous at times. Speech anxiety becomes a problem only when it gets out of control. You can't eliminate it, so use it as motivation.

• 2

  Identify what is causing your speech anxiety. Some people are born with a shy temperament or are afraid of rejection because of unhappy experiences as a child. You can conquer these feelings as an adult by accepting prior failings and using them as an opportunity for personal growth.

• 3

  Focus on sharing your enthusiasm.

  Don't judge yourself harshly. A bad public speaking experience in the past doesn't doom you to catastrophe forever. While some presentations are disastrous and others are marvelous, the majority lie somewhere in between. Nobody is perfect, so stop exaggerating your own faults--audiences don't expect perfection.

• 4

  Prepare. The most strategic way to reduce speech anxiety is to be thoroughly ready. If you have a choice of topic, pick one that's comfortable for you. Do research, organize and outline your material and rehearse in front of a familiar audience or a mirror. Time your practice speeches, and make a trial run using your PowerPoint or visual aids. Ask for and listen to constructive criticism.

• 5

  Adjust details that are under your control. If possible, get familiar with the room or location. When you rehearse, if you stumble over difficult words or phrases, change them to words that are easier to pronounce. On the big day, wear clean, comfortable, nice-looking clothes that are easy to move around in. Be well groomed and well rested, with a bottle of water nearby.

• 6

  Focus on sharing your topic with the audience. Defeat self-conscious jitters by sharing your enthusiasm as if you were sharing an interesting idea with a friend. Speak naturally, at a normal conversational pace. Remember, the entire audience is not judging you. They will not all notice your every weakness. Some people's minds will be drifting to other things, like what they're having for lunch or what their significant other said earlier. Pick out friendly, interested faces in the audience and direct your words toward them. With a positive attitude, when you are well-informed about your topic, you can overcome a public speaking challenge.