Are You Afraid of Public Speaking?

When people have been surveyed about what their biggest fears one is always at the top of list…Speaking in front of Groups…Public Speaking. It’s not just college students who are afraid of standing up and speaking to a group of people but even most professionals say they wish they didn’t have to give presentations. In fact the fear of public ranks second after the fear of snakes and before number three which is the fear of dying.

If you are afraid, the moment you stand up and start to talk, your heart starts racing, your legs feel like rubber, your hands start trembling and sometimes your voice audibly trembles. In the worst case I’ve ever seen personally, the person couldn’t utter a sound. You would rather be anywhere than where you are.

So why are people so afraid? After all, we all talk to many different people on any given day. We have no problem talking in a group. The problem doesn’t seem to start until we have to stand up in front of a group.

The major fear for most people is the fear of looking stupid in front of other people They are scared everybody will have a lower opinion of them because they don’t have good speaking skills. They are afraid of being humiliated like the guy who couldn’t utter a sound. I short, they are afraid of being laughed at.

What can you do about your fear?

There are several things you can do to help bolster your confidence when you have to give a presentation before a group of people:

• Find out who your audience is so you can tailor the material to them
• Use a short introduction to break the ice such as, “Hi, everybody. I’m glad you could make it today.” You could use a joke, just be careful not to offend your audience.
• Carefully prepare your speech and make sure your really know the material well
• Practice your speech until you can give it without notes
• Prepare slides or notes as a backup just in case you do forget what you want to say
• Video tape your presentation so you will be able to correct anything you don’t like such as hand gesture, posture, etc.
• Finally, do a dress rehearsal in front of a friendly audience.

On the day of the presentation, arrive early and mingle with the audience. If you get to know a couple of them, you should be able to relax a little. Of course one of the oldest suggestions is that if you start to get really nervous, visualize your audience dancing naked. Try not laugh out loud at the picture.

Giving presentations is part of most professional jobs. Learn to speak in front of groups while you are still in school and the worst that can happen is that you won’t get an “A”. Don’t let the fear of public speaking limit your career opportunities.