Beating Fear
Fear of public speaking can strike even the most seasoned presenters. What are some things you can do to help you beat fear?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
The better you know your material the more confident you will be.
Arrive early to your presentation
This allows you to meet some of the people you will be presenting to and ensure you have some friendly faces in the audience.
Relax
Take a few deep breaths, smile, laugh. If given the chance, go for a brisk walk or listen to your favorite music on the way to the meeting.
Speak and speak often
Take every opportunity made available to you to speak. The more you present in front of people the more at ease you will become with learning how you are reacting and how to manage those feelings.
How do you beat fear? Please share some of your best tips.
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I still use where possible the fearless start and fabulous finish that we learned in Reaching Peak Performance. It makes even the most basic topic more of a story, which helps take the pressure off being an expert and perfect at the same time when you have the floor.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Thanks for this great advice. I agree, we’ve all been there, situations like going in front of the stage and making a speech to a faceless crowd! But what I just kept in my mind are these things:
Speaking in public is not inherently stressful.
Don’t fear the fear. Don’t fight it.
Don’t put pressure on yourself to succeed:
- It’s not about you.
- You don’t have to be perfect or brilliant to succeed.
- You are not the only one with this problem.
Be yourself.
Don’t over-prepare or prepare in too much detail, but do rehearse if possible.
Make sure you have a message to share. Focus on your audience and on the message itself during your presentation.
Don’t believe something bad will happen.
Don’t think your audience does not want you to succeed.
Get practice to see firsthand that all the points above are true.
Recently, I made an effort to put up a comprehensive diagram for this, please take a look!
http://www.spreadinghappiness.org/2010/01/analysis-of-public-speaking-anxiety-and-proposals/
Thanks, Nick
February 4th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Blake, your tips are right on! I have been involved in public speaking for 27 years. While it has always been a passion, I definitely had to find ways to keep the butterflies at bay. I would echo your tips and expand with 1) be yourself – what I mean is, often the fear comes from thinking “I’m not enough – I need to ‘be’ or ‘look’ like a speaker” which results in putting on something your not and that is stressful. One of the most important lessons I learned as a speaker is that people want the real, authentic me – and they want the real, authentic you. If you come from your heart and your experience, you’ll be great. 2) Make it about them. When you give a talk, it is about bringing value to the audience, connecting with them AND having fun with it. That takes the attention off of ‘me’ and puts me much more at ease; 3) join a Toastmasters club – this is a great way to practice your material in front of a supportive group of people at every level of experience from beginner to expert. The feedback they give can be a real confidence booster and help you grow. Most of all, have fun!
February 5th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Blake, I like what you have written and thanks for the great advice and reminder! Yes you do have to be well prepared and practiced so you feel comfortable in presenting.
- I also believe first and foremost that you must be training because you are passionate about what you are doing and the difference you are working to facilitate in other people’s lives.
- Once you focus on your participants and the difference you are working to make in their life, then the pressure on you is removed and you can relax.
- Before I go out to facilitate change, I look at my son’s pictures and remind myself why I train and the people I am helping. Then I remind myself to go out and have fun!
- Also you need to be yourself and to connect with your participants. Don’t be afraid to look them in the eyes and make that connection with them. They do want you to succeed and want to help you accomplish that.
- I like to, when possible, mingle with my participants before the event so they get to me on a personal level so we begin akready with a connection and repoire.
- I also remind myself that if I do fumble a little on stage, that makes me more human and people like to see that. That helps relax me and has created some of the best moments in my training and connecting with my participants!
I thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge!
Have a great day!
Ron
February 12th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Blake-
You hit the mark. Practice is the key to effective presentations. We are all so busy it is important that we set aside the time for advance preparation.
Thanks for the great reminders.