How to get over fear of public speaking

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I have a fear of public speaking and really want to get better. It has prevented me from doing my best at school and in social situations. I'm looking at some of my courses for the Fall (Public Health major) and individual presentations are a huge part of them. For one of the classes, I've to give a speech, then there's a question & answer part where I've to engage the class (they ask questions, I answer; vice versa). I'm soft-spoken and ridiculously shy (and I hate it), so I'm already extremely anxious about how I'm going to pull off these presentations. </p>

<p>This time I can't get out of the classes, as they're required for my major. I have to do well in them too and want to. What do I do? How can a socially-anxious person be less fearful of class presentations/having to get up and speak in front of people?</p>

2

<p>I did a Model UN summer camp last year (and yes, it was actually as lame as it sounds) - that emphasized public speaking skills. I gained a tremendous amount of confidence in my public speaking from it - here are a few of the major takeaways that I got from the program – </p>

<p>When giving any sort of presentation, practice like crazy before - and by practice, I don’t mean just memorize what it is you’re going to say. Actually stand in your bathroom, stare at yourself in the mirror, and watch yourself speak. </p>

<p>Make mental notes of your hand gestures, posture, mannerisms, and facial expressions. To get a good idea of speaking well, perhaps watch your local news and see how the anchors command their tone, inflections, and speed when speaking. (Assuming you don’t have a really bizarre newscast with goofballs or something which can be the case in certain areas.) Record your voice if you have to (I cringe at the thought, but it’s actually quite helpful) and see if you are speaking clearly and properly (you don’t want to sound … enthusiastic, if you’re doing a presentation on genocide, for instance.)</p>

<p>Then when it comes to the actual presentation, lock eyes with a few familiar, friendly faces - or, if not applicable or possible, stare straight ahead, over the tops of your classmates’ heads, to the back wall - as you speak, move your line of vision left and right as if you’re actually looking at people towards the back. Remember that it is okay to pause - people tend to freak out when they have to stop and think, because they think there is some immense time pressure where they must keep speaking or they’ll be ridiculed. You can make momentary pauses to gather your thoughts, breathe, and begin speaking again. Such minor pauses don’t even register to most people listening to you speak. </p>

<p>Tons of people are terrified of public speaking - in fact, more people are scared of public speaking than actually dying. Literally. More people are actually scared of giving a eulogy at a funeral as opposed to being the one in the casket. You are not alone - your classmates, at least the ones that aren’t total jerks, will sympathize. </p>

<p>Good luck! </p>

3

<p>I’ve actually enjoyed public speaking since I was a kid, with the exception of my pre-teen years because I had health and self-conscious issues during those years, but in general I think what has really helped develop my public speaking skills is literally practice and watching other speakers. I’m from a city and speaking to strangers isn’t uncommon. I use to even street perform. I would say definitely practice saying what you’re going to say, have confidence, and become a lot more outgoing in your general life. Be willing to speak up and if you can start talking in front of small groups and slowly move to larger and larger crowds. </p>

4

<p>Apparently, more people are afraid of public speaking than anything else in the world, including dying - so you’re not alone.</p>

<p>The best way to reduce that fear is simply to do as much public speaking as you can. Take a speech class as an elective. A few other tips would include:</p>

<ul>
<li>be really, really prepared - know exactly what you’re going to say and how to say it</li>
<li>practice - in front of a mirror, your roommate, your teddy bear, skyping with someone</li>
<li>some people find it easier to present if you have a powerpoint slide so you don’t feel that people are staring at you. The trick, however, is to have very few words on the slide, so you’re not tempted to just read it.</li>
<li>for the Q&A, set up a friend in the class with a question you want to answer, and call on them first. You’ll sound confident (since you already know the answer!) and set a good tone.</li>
<li>remember, the audience is really on your side. When (not if) something goes wrong, just look at them and laugh it off. Sometimes admitting that you’re really nervous actually calms you down, ironically.</li>
</ul>

5

<p>Good advice above. I used to be shyer as well, and what really helped me was getting a job where I had to talk to people. It was in a family-owned store, and I had to greet customers, take orders on the phone, make nearby deliveries, etc. It was my first job when I was in high school, and it only took a couple summers for me to truly blossom and open up. It’s a bit different for you since you’re older than I was, but I think putting yourself out there can totally help you. When you’re put into the position where you have to be friendly and chatty, it can rub off on you and become a sort of habit for you even when you’re not working.</p>

<p>Since you have until the fall, why don’t you try to do more speaking-oriented things? Make phone calls to random businesses and ask information about products. Go into those stores and watch the salesmen try and sell you their products. Try and pitch sales/ideas at family members and friends. If you’re really brave, go to an open mic! I think getting yourself out there can help, even if it’s gradual.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Take a public speaking class - my daughter took one in college and it was wonderful </p>

7

<p>Practice, practice, practice. Keep putting yourself in situations where you have to speak. Do Toastmasters, join an acting class, etc.</p>

<p>It’s useful to record yourself and critique your performance, as well as practice in front of family and friends. The thought of doing either of those is probably also causing butterflies in your stomach. This is one of those things that you’ll get over once you’ve done it enough. There’s no shortcut.</p>

8

<p>The worst thing you can do if you have a fear of public speaking is to avoid it.</p>

<p>All you can do is keep forcing yourself to be in situations where you have to speak in front of an audience. Over time, it’ll get easier, even if that fear or anxiety never completely goes away. I found that practicing before hand helped a little, and knowing your topic backwards and forwards helps, as well. But really, you just have to force yourself to do it over and over again, until it starts to become easier.</p>

9

<p>I think the best thing to do is to really rehearse what you will be speaking about and knowing exactly what you are going to say. This has helped me a lot because it gave me more confidence because I knew exactly what I was going to say</p>

10

<p>I don’t know if you’ve ever done any acting or theatre before, but being involved in that really helped me conquer public speaking. For some reason, acting has always come more naturally to me than public speaking–you get to be someone else, rather than yourself. So I treat public speaking as playing a role, and the role is just a more confident version of myself that happens to be good at public speaking. I treat whatever I have to say the same way that I treat monologues: I go through and memorize what I’m going to say, along with the gestures and tone of voice that my character would use. That probably sounds like it doesn’t make any sense, but I promise it works! </p>

<p>Another thing that helps is simply putting the situation into perspective: You’re speaking in front of an audience, and it’s most likely your classmates. If you stand up there and stutter or speak quietly, they’re not going to judge you. In fact, they’re probably not going to care. In my experience, if a speaker isn’t engaging, I tend to tune them out. That might sound rude, but it’s sort of a natural reaction. When something is boring, we tend not to pay attention. So…think of it this way: Your classmates probably don’t want to sit idly in class. They want to be entertained, so engage with them. When you look at it that way (or at least when I look at it that way), there’s really nothing to be afraid of. </p>