WAYS TO REDUCE ANXIETY BEFORE SPEAKING IN PUBLIC

Speaking in public is probably one of the most challenging things to do especially if you have xenophobia. If you want to understand more about xenophobia or stage fright, we have published an article that you can read and you can just browse that through our website. This time we will be talking about the anxiety that you will experience before speaking in public.

The anxiety is there. And mind you, even the most experienced speakers go through this. Some of my friends who happened to be great public speakers confessed that they also feel anxiety before speaking. Well, not all the time, but it depends upon the situation.

When you are there on your seat waiting for your name to be called to speak in front, there you will feel the anxiety. And your anxiety is composed of negative thoughts and expectations that you might be embarrassed in front. Well, this is a common feeling.

This article talks about the ways that you can do to reduce your anxiety. The reason why we used the word reduce is because the anxiety is still there, but the fact that you have reduced it means a lot. Well, I do hope that after reading this article you will be able to see yourself as a new person with new level of confidence in speaking in front of people. Of course this is something that you need, especially if the reason why you do his is because this is already part of your job.

So, what are the things that you need to do? Well, let us start.

Think that nobody’s perfect and you don’t have to. The fear of being embarrassed is what fuels your anxiety. This is the reason why you feel anxious while your time to speak is getting closer. If you are struggling with your anxiety, bear in mind that nobody’s perfect and that you don’t have to be perfect speaking in front.

You are afraid to commit mistakes, right? You are afraid that people may ridicule you. Well, you need to do your best and do not just settle on being mediocre but do not every promote perfection. After your speech, you will notice that it is not perfect. There will always be room for improvement. So, the best thing to do is look at your experience talking in public as an inspiration to strive to become better – not to be perfect. It’s a matter of looking at your mistakes and learning from it. Another thing that you need to consider is you cannot please everyone.

Think of a good result. Well, if you are thinking that you will fail, there is a high tendency that you will. So, the best thing to do is for you to visualize a good result. You need to see yourself speaking in front with confidence and think in advance the reaction of the people who are listening to you.

While you are in your seat, imagine of something good. It is your way to think positive about your situation. When you are able to see yourself finishing your talking successfully, you will lessen your anxiety and you will gain more confidence.

Do not look at yourself as a loser in front. Take note that it is public speaking and you need to be confident enough to talk. If you are having problems acquiring confidence to speak in public, you can read our article published about that to learn more.

Be prepared. This is something that you need not to neglect. The thing is being prepared will make it sure that you know what you are talking about. There are so many kinds of speech. You can speak in front in an impromptu style or you can have it memorized. No matter what style you are using, you still have to prepare. And preparation takes days, or weeks, or months – depending on the event.

Being prepared is not just by means of learning or memorizing your speech. But you have to prepare also in terms of the things that you will wear. You should wear appropriate clothes for the occasion so that you will be able to lessen your insecurities. When you are prepared, think of setting yourself free from worries. Well, you will not go to a battle without training or bringing with you your arms. Think of your public speaking as a battle. You have to be prepared.

Be excited. Aside from being prepared, you have to be excited, too. When you are excited about the event, you will not be pressured to do this. I understand that sometimes you are being pushed by someone out of necessity to speak in public. If this is the situation, learn to love what you are about to do. Well, things will be easier for you if you love what you are doing. Be excited about it.

If you are excited about speaking in public, you might want to pull the hands of time. If you are on your seat, you may want to stand already. Well, I am not saying that you need to be overconfident about it – just be excited. If you have that excitement in you, you will also enjoy preparing for it. You will enjoy writing your speech and choosing what to wear, too. This is something that you need to consider.

Forget about your past experiences.One of the biggest reasons why you are anxious is the fact that you have a bad experience in the past. Well, if the is the issue, you need to learn to forget about your past experience. When I say past experience, it has something to do with speaking in public. Well, this is a challenging thing – the reason why you need to exert effort in forgetting.

And while it is challenging, it is possible. Think of the fact that even the greatest speakers in history experienced failures. Well, nobody is born expert. People will always start at the bottom as beginners. But by continuous practice and learning from experiences, they will be able to master their skills. So, the best thing to do is learn from your past experience. Take your past experience positively and see the good in it. When you do this, you will be able to rise above your situation that will eventually decrease your anxiety.

Get enough sleep.There are so many benefits of sleeping. The thing is if you will read our published article, you will see that sleeping can make you more focused and concentrated on what you are doing. This will help boost your memory especially if you are speaking in public. I understand that the worst thing that could ever happen to you as a speaker is to forget what to say in front. Well, you are prone to this if you will not sleep well.

When you get enough sleep, you have a healthier mind. And when you come to the point of forgetting what to say in front and you suddenly stopped, you can easily think of an adlib. Well, I admire speakers who can easily think of something to say knowing the fact that they are lost in their speaking. Consider this also so that you will be able to decrease your anxiety before speaking in public.

Be friendly with people around. If you are on your seat already, it is good to look around and smile at people. Do not just be silent there, instead talk to them. Think of it. If you know the people who will listen to you, you have a lower level of anxiety. But if the people who will listen to you are not familiar, that is when anxiety is higher. With this, the best thing to do is get to know them. Well, I am not saying that you need to roam around. It’s just that you need to show positive attitude towards them by smiling. Being friendly will help decrease your anxiety.

Have an eye to eye contact. When you are talking in front, have an eye to eye contact with the people who are listening. Just relax and enjoy what you are doing. If possible, prepare an anecdote so that they will laugh. When you are able to make them laugh, you will notice that you are gaining confidence to speak in front. Talk in front as if you are talking to one person. You can practice this one.

Come early. You will surely increase in anxiety if you will come late. The thing is you will get tired walking fast and running just to arrive in the venue. With this, you have to come early. To do this, sleep early at night. There is nothing wrong with coming early. When you do this, you still have time to familiarize yourself with the venue. Take note that if you are in control of the venue you will be able to deliver your speech effectively.