15 Ways To Stop Being Terrified Of Public Speaking When Actually You Shouldn't be

Do you need to work up the nerve to give a presentation? Do you feel too scared, too anxious, or maybe even paralyzed by fear when friends ask you about presenting at an event? If so, this article is for you.

In this post we'll discuss 15 ways that will help you stop being terrified of public speaking and instead help the fear become a thing of the past. From loosening your thinking cap to crafting a compelling argument, these tips will enlighten and equip you with resources for future success. Keep reading to find out how.

1. Find A Purpose

We are creatures of habit and often fear what we don't understand. The key to cultivating a healthy fear of public speaking is finding the purpose and meaning behind it, which will cultivate a love for what you're doing. If you find yourself in a position where you absolutely must give a presentation, remind yourself that the purpose behind it is to share knowledge with your peers, which is the ultimate act of giving back to the community. Think about how this action will benefit others as opposed to focusing on only how you'll benefit yourself by causing your audience to laugh or applaud at one of your jokes (although this can also be true).

2. Reel In Your Nerves

Chances are, you've heard a speech many times before. So what's the difference this time around?

You'll be speaking with a new crowd and might not have prepared as much. You can prevent yourself from getting nervous by thinking about all of the reasons why you're giving this presentation and how you're going to make it as memorable as possible. This can help you put your best foot forward and stay focused on the task at hand. While this might not work for every speaker, I would recommend taking these approaches if there's no other way to reduce your nerves caused by public speaking.

3. Find A Role Model

Public speaking can be daunting for anyone, even those who have been doing it for years! Instead of trying to find a role model who does extremely well at public speaking, find someone who does a great job with their speaking skills but not necessarily their content itself. Learning from someone who has a passion for public speaking but isn't an exceptional speaker themselves can help you to find your own niche and do what you do best (which is sharing great information with your audience).

4. Utilize Step-By-Step Instructions

If you're not a writer or speaker, you don't have to learn how to write or speak publically. There are many exceptional speakers who've learned how to communicate effectively through books and other materials. If you're not a writer and the thought of creating content for your presentation makes you nervous, watch some of these awesome TED Talks that include step-by-step instructions on how to get the most out of them. The videos are short, yet packed with valuable information that can help turn any presentation into an effective one.

5. Follow A Brief Routine

It's easy to forget how old you are or who you are when you're on the stage. Therefore, always keep in mind that your audience will be listening for the majority of the time, not just five seconds to twenty minutes. If you plan on giving a presentation that lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, always follow a consistent and simple routine (i.e. walk out at the same time every time) so all of your information becomes clear and easily understood by your audience. If you have any questions or concerns about this approach, check out my previous post on how to use music effectively for presentation purposes.

6. Go Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Nobody wants to become a victim of their own success and everyone's comfort zone is different. If you have no fear of public speaking, you may need to find a way to get over it. Try thinking about how your audience will respond best, what will make your presentation memorable, and the amount of time that you have in the day. Are there any other presenters who are similar to yourself? What they say and take away from their speeches may be completely different from yours but it doesn't mean that it won't be effective or beneficial for you in some way.

7. Be Honest With Yourself

Some people do have a natural ability to stand in front of an audience and speak their mind, while others are far too anxious or fearful to do so. The key is to identify where you fall on the spectrum of public speaking between introverts, extroverts, and the timid. Once you can do this, you'll be able to figure out the best way for you to become a better speaker in front of an audience.

8. Create A Great Structure

As mentioned before, no one wants to become a victim of their own success. If you have a great structure in place, however, your presentation will be easy to follow and understand without being too wordy or dry. A good structure will tell your audience that what they're seeing is relevant and that it's not just some speech where everyone has to rely on their own thoughts and opinions. You want to appeal to your audience's emotions and help them remember what you said, not give them a hard time thinking about how to interpret your words.

9. Pay Attention To The Stories You Tell

Before you even get in front of an audience, you need to make sure that the stories behind your presentation are engaging and inspiring without being too complex or dull. If it's a story that everyone else can relate to and learn from, your presentation will be more memorable for everyone involved (presenter and audience). Remember that the audience may not be able to remember all of the details but they'll be able to recall your stories (i.e. "I know how hard it was getting out of bed every morning after your presentation") to someone else in the future.

10. Remember That The Presentation Is Only the Beginning

Before you receive feedback from your audience, you'll be thinking about how to improve your next presentation or what you can do better the next time. If your goal is to connect with others, you need to remember that a speech will only be a "start" for your relationship with them. Otherwise, it's just one part of your presentation and not an end all. As I mentioned before, people won't always remember everything you said in the moment but they'll always be able to connect with the story behind it and hopefully learn more from it when they have time.

11. Practice Makes Perfect

Whether you're a public speaker or not, you need to be willing to practice the presentation that you choose to give and make sure that it's beneficial for your audience. If the presentation concerns one of your favorite topics and it gives insight on what you believe, then it will be much more powerful if you actually practice sharing the information before your speech.

Practice will allow you to check off things such as eye contact, body language, and other small things that can help turn a bad experience into a good one. With practice, no matter how you feel before presenting, your audience will come away with an amazing experience and new knowledge about what you had to say.

12. Prepare To Present

I can't stress enough on the importance of this one. If you're a speaker, you need to prepare yourself before going in front of an audience. There are many ways that you can do so such as rehearsing your speech and research any information that is needed for your presentation (i.e. how to use the equipment).

Revise whatever notes you have to make sure that everything is relevant and easy to follow or understand. If you're not a writer, learn how to write better and make a point to pick up a few books on public speaking from your local library. By preparing, you'll be less nervous because you know what you're going to say and what your audience can expect.

13. Prepare To Receive Feedback

The key to making any type of improvement is to receive feedback on the presentation itself. Although it's important to get the feedback from your friends and family, I'd recommend that you reach out to people who are expert at giving presentations in front of an audience or those who don't do it much if at all. The first thing that they'll do is ask questions that help them point out things such as their own skills and strengths, where they're lacking, if anything needs to be amended in the presentation, and anything else that might make it better.

14. Avoiding Bad Feedback

When someone gives you feedback that isn't even worth addressing, it's best to listen to their opinion and thank them for their input. While some people may have a really bad experience with a particular speaker or presentation, it doesn't mean that the presenter is bad or unskilled at what they do. Perhaps the story was irrelevant or dry for the listener, but this doesn't mean that it will always be that way for everyone who hears it. It's all about perspective and there's always room for improvement regardless of what someone thinks.

15. Get Back To The Presentation

As mentioned in step 13, if you get feedback that's not relevant or important to what you're doing, it's best to put it out of your mind and go back to the presentation. Sometimes, people can be so hard on themselves that they forget about the story or presentation altogether because they're so focused on their own feelings. In these cases, don't let them be self-defeating because they could ruin their opinion of themselves. Instead of letting this happen, just take some positive feedback such as "you did a great job with the presentation" and leave it at that.

Conclusion

As you can see, public speaking isn't that scary at all but there are a few things that you might want to watch out for. Some of this advice may seem obvious, but that's the purpose of all of this. You can always refer back to these steps and see how much of what I just said applies to you. There are many tips and tricks to help you in your presentations such as learning from others' mistakes or practice, but I'm confident that any speaker will be able to avoid many or all of these mistakes if they're willing to practice.