Fear of speaking in front of an audience. How to overcome the fear of the public: steps to success and recognition

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public speech - common cause trembling in the knees and horror. People are sure that anxiety before such a performance visits shy people. But in fact, everyone goes through such feelings. Even seasoned speakers get nervous when they have a presentation with new theme and unfamiliar audiences.

Strange as it may sound, this fear is the most popular phobia on the planet. Everyone felt anxiety when delivering a report, a toast, a speech, or even a poem on creative evening. Depending on the audience, the importance of the event, the alarm has varying degrees. At these moments, the heartbeat quickens, tremors, hoarseness occur, the body is torn with red spots.

Causes of fear of public speaking

The reason for the fear of speaking in public is the unknown. This scares people most often, especially those who have no experience. It becomes a cause of unrest even among speakers who are wise by experience.

In addition, the basis of fear is education. Parents do not allow kids to speak loudly in public. This is argued by the fact that people are watching, it is not beautiful, etc. As a result, when the baby grows up, adult personality begins to be shy of the public.

The main thing is to understand that you are not alone, 9 out of 10 speakers face such a phobia. But the excitement visits before the very performance of all people. Those who are afraid of speeches to the point of trembling are called glossophobes.

Getting rid of fear. Main ways

The real way is practice. In order to avoid anxiety, you must constantly overcome it. Regular performances reduce this fear of the public. Take every chance to get practice.

The next step is preparation. best method reducing anxiety is good preparation. For a successful presentation, it is important to have a good understanding of the topic. The performance can be rehearsed in advance, think about all the nuances. The stronger your confidence in knowledge, the less fear arises that you will find yourself in an absurd position.

Don't think that you have to always be perfect. Many of us are afraid of the public because of the fear of making a mistake in public. It only increases the likelihood. But mistakes do not cause a death sentence, nothing terrible will happen.

think over appearance. It is important to look good in a performance. There is a psychological moment at work here. For example, a girl has an “arrow” on her tights, she worries because of this, but at least 90% of people will not notice her, she will still worry. Such thoughts steal confidence. Think over all the nuances so that there is no discomfort.

How to get rid of the fear of speaking

So, let's figure out how you can get rid of fears specifically before the performance:

rehearse and prepare;

It is very important to scrupulously analyze the audience. Stage fright is often a combination of several. Negative influence brings fear of the unknown. To get rid of this, it is important to find out where, how and in front of which listeners you are. If possible, analyze how many people will be, their interests and views. Getting rid of fears is connected with your knowledge and awareness.

Once you know who your audience will be, start preparing hard. The report needs to be built based on the average intelligence of the listeners. You should not make complex logical chains, use narrowly focused terms, etc. Don't use words whose meaning you don't fully understand. If there is a short report to be made, the preparation cannot be ignored. The topic is important to study carefully.

After writing a speech, it is worth thinking about questions from the audience. Be sure to train in advance, imagine a state that is comfortable for you. Practice performing in front of a friend or acquaintance.

calm down;

If you do not understand how to relax and get rid of fear, then some exercises will help. Meditation is distinguished by a technique called mindful breathing. Its essence is in focusing on exhalation and inhalation. It is necessary to keep the air on the count from 1 to 5. This gives a chance to reduce tension and anxiety. Another option: tense all the muscles in your body for a couple of seconds. Then relax completely and repeat again.

find support;

If there are acquaintances or relatives among the public, then ask for support from them. Any contact will be helpful. Before the start of the speech, find your friend among the audience.

think about the non-verbal part.

It is important to assess the need for a non-verbal part of the report. It is curious that 60% of the data each person receives from this source. If the phrases sometimes give an erroneous impression, then the gestures are read by the subconscious mind correctly.

How to overcome fear while speaking

Even if you manage to completely calm yourself before a speech in public, the fear again arises when you enter the stage. There are methods that make it possible to get rid of fear directly during the performance.

A popular stress relief technique is affirmations with text that uplifts and reassures you. Important to choose positive phrases, such as “I love everyone present, and they love me”, “Everyone is waiting for my interesting report”, “I can be a good speaker”, etc.

Another way is to accept fears. Allow yourself to worry, because you are a living person. After acceptance this fact becomes noticeably lighter. But remember that it is important to tune in to a good outcome. Don't waste your energy on negative memories.

Experts say it is important for overly worried people to publicly acknowledge their own fear. This removes responsibility if you suddenly forget information or get off topic. But often you can’t use this method, because the audience will react negatively to the statement next time. Frankness is good for the first speech. Use this method only if others do not help.

For speakers without experience, impromptu is not the best solution. Few of us have the ability to extricate ourselves from difficulties. For this reason, it is better not to enclose yourself in difficult situation. If you have to give answers to questions, then it is more correct to pronounce platitudes suitable for the situation.

There are others interesting tips how to overcome your stage fears. Imagine that the audience is not serious figures, but kittens or rabbits. Positive thoughts will bring positive thoughts. But these tips are given by experienced speakers, and they work for those who do not have panic fear.

For glossophobes, any option listed above is suitable to relieve anxiety and tension. If you do not neglect the practice, you will see progress very soon.

Experience is the main key to success in the art of public speaking. Start small - toast with friends. Then practice a loud voice in public places. It helps fight fear backlash of people. You will see that the tone will become more imposing, more patronizing.

Once you've gained some confidence, start taking action at work. Ask questions to other speakers. So you will reduce the fear of being in the center of someone else's attention and notice your craving for performance.

January 18, 2014, 11:37

A person who wants to achieve some success in modern society, you have to constantly talk to other people and perform in front of small and large audiences. The profession of a teacher and a politician, a scientist and an ordinary manager requires developed communication skills. Stage fright (peiraphobia, glossophobia,) which almost 95% of the population has can prevent a person from revealing oratorical talents.

Glossophobia: symptoms

Fearpublic speakingfamiliar to everyone: trembling of the limbs, slight excitement, insomnia, which appears only on the eve of the very big day and confused thoughts. However, it is enough to speak in front of the audience, to see approval and understanding in the eyes of the audience, and the newly minted speaker becomes more confident and liberated. Peiraphobia causes a person much deeper anxiety and anxiety; it is just one of the variants of the fear of speaking at all. In medicine, the fear of talking to people associated with stuttering is called logophobia or glossophobia. If stage fright is connected precisely with how you start stuttering in public, this variant of the disorder is called lalophobia. There are situations when panic fear makes it necessary to say some specific words, the pronunciation of which causes a person to stutter. This form of the disorder is called verbophobia.

Logophobia in any of its manifestations causes characteristic symptoms:

• high blood pressure and pulsation in the temples;
• tachycardia and increased sweating;
• dry mouth and "wadded" legs;
• sometimes the voice disappears, its timbre may change: it becomes squeaky or chesty, too loud or quiet;
• in other cases, the person panics so much that he cannot get a word out of himself.

If the patient is emotional and sensitive, then at the moment when he is in front of an audience, his face may turn pale, nausea appears, dizziness, limbs may become cold. Such a speech will end quickly enough, because in most cases the speaker either gathers his courage and calms down, or loses consciousness. In young children who are forced to recite a rhyme in front of a crowd of relatives or answer in front of a whole class, sometimes lalophobia is accompanied by involuntary urination. In adults, this symptom is rarely observed.

Stage fright as a result of upbringing

Lalophobia develops more often in children brought up by strict and authoritarian parents. It is enough for mom or dad to tell the child that you can’t talk loudly on the street or in public places and attract attention to yourself so that he eventually develops stage fright. They try to bring up other children as intelligent and modest, they inspire that it is better to sit in the audience than to try to take the place of a lecturer.

Fear of public speaking often haunts people who at a young age were banned, intimidated, who were physically or psychological abuse. The atmosphere of constant pressure and depreciation of any achievements contributes to underestimation of self-esteem. When the speaker is unsure of his mental abilities, external data or the significance of the proposed idea, it is more difficult for him to get together and overcome the fear of the audience

Children who have been instilled with ambition and the need to always be first suffer from perfectionism and inflated self-esteem. It makes them value the opinion of society, which is why the fear of speaking is formed. A person is frightened by the possibility of being ridiculed or hearing criticism from the audience, which will hurt his pride and make him doubt his own abilities.

Fear of public speaking: genetic memory

Some psychologists argue that logophobia is a genetic problem. In primitive society, man tried not to separate from the masses, so as not to be rejected. Exile in most cases meant death by predator or starvation. Modern speakers are quite adapted to survive in splendid isolation, but subconscious instincts and fears can play a cruel joke with them.

The reason for the development of a phobia is also considered the presence of bad experience in the past. For example, when a schoolboy or student was publicly ridiculed, making him feel worthless. Memories cut deep into the subconscious if Active participation not only classmates took part in bullying, but also the teacher himself. Strong personalities trying to get out similar situations maximum benefit, use the experience gained to train willpower and character. People who are sensitive, prone to self-criticism and depressive states, withdraw and simply refuse the opportunity to share their thoughts with others.

Logophobia appears in patients with speech defects. They are quite comfortable in the company of friends, but a large audience scares them, because listeners can ridicule his speech impediments. Such people are recommended treatment, which is aimed at improving diction and increasing self-confidence.

Fear of blushing as the cause of glossophobia

Patients with erythrophobia refuse public speaking due to the characteristics of their own body. Experiencing excitement or other strong emotions, they blush. Among the causes of a traitorous blush, there are problems with the nervous and vascular systems, hormonal disorders and consequences of stressful situations.

More often, glossophobia in this form is diagnosed in blue-eyed and fair-haired patients with thin and pale skin. Erythrophobes try once again not to appear in public, because the accumulation strangers makes them worry and panic, blush and be embarrassed even more.

Erythrophobes refuse high positions, because a director or a successful lawyer will have to take part in conferences, speak to subordinates or juries. For some patients, breathing exercises and self-hypnosis treatment help to get rid of the fear of public speaking, while others have to work with psychologists for a long time. If treatment with drugs and psychotherapy does not help, the person is offered surgical ways to overcome the problem. Just pinch certain nerve endings, and the patient gets the opportunity to communicate with other people, speak in front of huge audiences and not blush.

How to overcome the fear of public speaking?

Someone considers stage fright a trifle, but neglected logophobia can develop into serious problem. The patient at first avoids public speaking, after that he is shy of friends, and over time he tries to isolate himself from society as a whole so as not to get into awkward situations.

The classic advice given to all new speakers is to mentally undress the audience or dress in ridiculous costumes to relieve tension. Others recommend making friends with the audience, focusing on the listeners who follow every word spoken with interest and admiration. A smile, gestures of approval and support help to cope with stress.

To overcome panic and excitement, it is recommended to carefully prepare for the performance. Select interesting and reliable material, rehearse your speech several times in front of a mirror or a pet. You can dictate a speech on the phone, then listen to it in order to find mistakes and get rid of them before the speech.

Perfectionist, pedantic people should relax a bit. Give yourself the right to make one or more frivolous mistakes, because no one is perfect, even opponents who try to find inaccuracies in the given facts with a satisfied smirk.

Getting rid of negative memories

It is more difficult to cope with the memories of the past, which prevent you from relaxing and make you expect the worst. Psychologists give some advice on how to overcome stage fright and believe in yourself. At home, it is useful to perform special exercises and master breathing exercises, which will help normalize the heartbeat and muffle fear.

Meditation can overcome the tension that lalophobia causes, but it takes at least a few months to do it. A couple of hours before the performance, it is useful to solve simple or complex problems. mathematical equations to activate left hemisphere brain. Then it will be easier to concentrate on the topic and answer all the questions of the audience.

Toovercomepanic, you should tune in to a positive result. Imagine the audience jumping up from their seats and giving a standing ovation, amazed by the performance. How the proposed idea will turn the world upside down or make people's lives easier, and bring universal recognition and fame to its creator.

You need to watch your body: do not cross your arms or legs, do not close yourself from the audience. Muscles and gestures should be as relaxed as possible, and postures should be open. In serious cases, when peyraphobia interferes with progress career ladder, and it’s impossible to get rid of the problem on your own, you should consult a psychologist and undergo a course of treatment. You may need to take sedatives or tranquilizers.

Treatment by a specialist will help you relax and reveal your oratorical potential. But the main weapon of all successful lecturers, lawyers and business coaches is a smile. Sincere, broad, confident and disarming. After all, sometimes it is enough to smile at the world for it to smile at you.

Alexandra Savina

Fear of public speaking is a very common phenomenon: it seems that there is no such person who would not be nervous while reading a report or making a presentation in front of colleagues. But this fear is quite realistic to overcome, and the most obvious one can become a good speaker. We offer 10 life hacks that will help you cope with anxiety and perform well.

Don't try to calm down

For those who are preparing for public speaking, it often seems that the main thing is to force yourself to calm down by any possible ways. But research shows that this isn't the most effective strategy: instead, openly admit to yourself that you're worried. Anxiety is a strong emotion, try to direct it in a positive direction and transform it into a joyful anticipation of a future event. Study participants who admitted to feeling mild but pleasant anxiety performed better on tasks than those who tried to force themselves to stop being nervous.

If you still can’t cope with anxiety, you can work out before the performance. Even a short workout will help you relax, let off steam and remove nervous tension. The main thing to remember is that the audience, as a rule, is benevolent and does not want you to fail: even if there are errors and shortcomings in your speech, the audience will easily forgive them to you.

Know more about the subject
what are you going to tell

A piece of advice that seems obvious: it's worth speaking in front of an audience if you're good at what you're talking about. We think there is no need to explain that you need to prepare for a speech, and the content of your report is no less important than how you present it: convulsively composing your speech on the night before a conference or meeting is not the most best idea. If you have a good understanding of the topic you are about to speak on, and have studied not only the content of your report, but also additional materials, you will feel more confident in front of the audience, you will be able to express yourself more clearly, and most importantly, additional questions won't take you by surprise. This technique works well in an academic environment: if you start to get worried, remember that few people have researched the topic of your diploma, report or dissertation in as much detail as you yourself.

rehearse

Long rehearsals are the key to a good performance. Having repeated the report aloud many times, you willy-nilly learn its content and remember well what you need to talk about: after that it will be difficult to unsettle you. They say that Winston Churchill rehearsed for an hour every minute of his speeches - it may not take you much time, but you will definitely feel more confident with each repetition. At the same time, it is not worth cramming the report: the speech learned by heart looks forced and unnatural.

You can rehearse in front of a mirror, or you can record your performance on video - at least on a smartphone camera. Watching the resulting recording will be awkward at first, and maybe unpleasant, but it will help analyze the way you speak and highlight what still needs to be worked on - including facial expressions, posture, gestures, and the way you carry yourself.

Shortly before the performance, you can rehearse in front of a group of friends and colleagues: it is likely that you will be nervous before this first “training” run, and by the very performance you will already be calm. It is worth asking friends or colleagues to ask you tricky questions - so you will understand what may be of interest to the audience and what topics should be studied in more detail while there is still time.

Do not read from the sheet and do not rely
on notes

Good speakers tend to speak as if they hadn't prepared the speech beforehand - but at the same time clearly understand what needs to be said. It is believed that small notes help in the presentation - but they can also confuse you and distract you from the audience and their reactions. You can print the text of your speech, but it is better to use it only for safety net. Don't read the whole text from the sight: the audience may get bored, and you will look and feel less confident than if you told the information in your own words. The text should be clear to both you and the listeners: formulations that are well perceived in writing, the audience may not understand by ear. Pay special attention to the beginning of the speech: this is the most difficult moment in your speech, and when you cope with it, you will feel much more confident.

In addition, it is important to work on the presentation, if it is provided. The presentation should not completely duplicate the report that you are reading - the audience will simply not be interested in perceiving the same information in double volume. There should not be a lot of text on the slides - it is better to put capacious abstracts on them. This will also help in your presentation: short hints will guide you on what to talk about and in what order.

Work on speech speed, volume and articulation

It is very important to work on the speed at which you speak. We tend to speak faster when we're nervous, so if you feel like you're reading a report at a normal pace, you're probably talking too fast, and if you feel like you're talking too slowly, that's probably the right speed. . When you speak measuredly, it is easier for you to control your speech and you have time to correct yourself if you made a mistake, or quickly adjust your report to the reaction of the audience - for example, by turning to the audience with a question.

Your performance is more likely to interest the audience if you speak loudly and clearly. This skill is easy to develop: you can record your performance on camera or on a voice recorder and analyze how you sound from the outside and what can be improved. And of course, working on articulation is much easier if you already know your report by heart.

Watch your breath and posture

“If you can control your breathing, you can control how you speak,” says coach Christine Schaeffer. In her opinion, irregular or difficult breathing is a sign that you are worried, and your body has decided to respond to a stressful situation in a fight or flight model. She says that shortly before the performance, you should follow your breath and breathe evenly and deeply: this will help you distract from disturbing thoughts and concentrate on what is happening here and now.

It is equally important to work on posture and gestures: this affects not only how others perceive us, but also how we perceive ourselves. social psychologist Amy Cuddy, author of the famous TED talk, believes that so-called power postures affect us both at the neuroendocrine and behavioral levels. So, even if you don't feel confident speaking, choosing an open stance to relax your shoulders and arms will not only make you look calmer, but will also make you feel more confident.

It's great if you have the opportunity to rehearse in the hall where you have to perform. If this is not an option, it would be useful to at least look at the right audience or audience: it is much easier to read a speech in a familiar environment. As you look around the room, think about what difficulties might arise here (the technician suddenly fails? Will it be difficult to hear you in the back rows?) and how they can be prevented.

In addition, for many, it is easier to cope with the excitement if they learn a little more about the audience in front of which they will perform. The more you know about your audience, the less it resembles an abstract crowd - and the easier it will be for you to change the material and manner of communication in accordance with their needs and interests.

Choose comfortable clothes and shoes

This advice seems obvious, but it's still worth saying. For a speech, you need to choose clothes in which you will be comfortable: wearing comfortable clothes will make you feel more confident and will be able to fully concentrate on your speech. It's better to give up new clothes and, especially, shoes: just imagine how much more difficult it is to perform on stage in shoes that rub your feet. It may be worth giving up overly bright decorations: they can distract the attention of the audience from your speech and the essence of your words.

Do not forget about the dress code: if your clothes match the place and topic of the performance, it will be easier for you to win over the audience. At the same time, it’s also not worth sacrificing your style, convenience and freedom of expression: you will be more comfortable performing in clothes that you like, so feel free to give up if you get tired of them.

Make eye contact
with the audience

Many, when speaking in public, prefer to look into the distance, over the audience, but it is better to try to establish eye contact with the audience, looking into the eyes of one or another person in the audience. Sandy Eifion-Jones, of Toastmasters International, an organization that helps people hone their communication skills, advises practicing at home by cutting out a few large faces from newspapers and magazines and pasting them around the room, and then, repeating the speech, look from one face to another .

Another useful technique- find with your eyes a friendly person in the audience (this can be, for example, a colleague with whom you are on good terms, a friend who came to listen to your report, or stranger, who is interested in the topic of your speech), look at him and imagine that you are only speaking in front of him. Perhaps it will be noticeable from the outside - but it will be easier for you to relax.

Imagine the worst
developments

This advice is useful not only for preparing for public speaking, but also in any other stressful situation. If you can not cope with excitement and anxiety, imagine the most worst case development of events. As soon as you imagine a specific situation, you will almost certainly realize that everything is not as scary as it seemed, and that you can find a way out of any situation. It is worth thinking about what situations make you nervous and how you can deal with them - the feeling that you have a plan of action even for yourself. difficult situation will give you confidence.

You need to make a speech. But what is it? Fear, panic, circles before the eyes ...

Stop! Take control of the panic!

Fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias. This anxiety is caused by how a person will appear in front of an audience. It doesn't matter if it's 5 people or 145. People try to protect themselves and avoid public speaking.

This fear rules the life of a person. How? A person chooses a profession where one does not need to talk much, does not speak at presentations and does not stick out at all. Such behavior deprives them of a lot. In place of the boss, they choose someone who knows how to speak beautifully. Investors choose the business that is run by an entrepreneur who delivered a good presentation.

Some people pull themselves together and still perform. But they do more - they focus on how they feel, not what they say. The result is failure.

The ability to speak in public is a very important skill that anyone needs successful person. Very few people are born good speakers. The rest just know how to overcome their fear. This guide will help you deal with anxiety. So read and remember:

1. Don't be afraid to make mistakes

When you have dozens, hundreds of people in front of you, and they are all set to listen to your speech, you are simply catastrophically afraid of making a mistake. You are afraid that your mistake will be noticed, and you will look ridiculous in the eyes of all these people. But you must remember important thing, none of us are perfect. Even the best speaker can make mistakes. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, because we learn from them. Please take this as helpful.

2. Present the best result

Never think that you will definitely fail this performance and everyone will just laugh at you. Represent only best result, replay your entire performance in your mind. Think positive. Imagine that you speak easily, your speech is calm and interesting. The audience listens attentively and with interest. Think of a good ending to your speech. Do not tune in immediately to a bad result.

3. Listeners are your friends

If you're waiting good relationship to yourself, then you should treat people with respect. If they came to you, it means that they have a desire to receive useful and interesting information from you.

4. Relax before the performance

Before such important event do not be nervous, calm down, read something light, listen to your favorite music, get enough sleep.

5. Neat appearance

Get ready to perform seriously. You must look perfect. Pay attention to your shoes, clean them, your clothes should be neat and comfortable.

6. Love what you talk about

First of all, you should like your report. Despite its seriousness, try to interest the audience. You yourself must enjoy the performance. You must know what you are talking about.

7. Stay calm

Don't forget to breathe deeply, fear and anxiety before a performance can be bad for your voice.

8. The best listener is a friendly listener

Fix your eyes on the kind and friendly face. When you know for sure that everything you say to someone, you will gain strength and positive energy to continue.

In this video, you can find a few more useful tricks for yourself that will help you become a good speaker:

Fear of public speaking, like other fears and phobias, is similar to panic attack. People, of course, want to get rid of anxiety even before they start talking. But many well-known methods only increase anxiety.

This exercise should help you deal with fear. Try it!

Imagine that you are already on stage. Think about what you do during your introduction to feel more relaxed? How are you trying to control your fear?

Think two minutes. Write down all your answers.

What's on your list?

Here is an example of my old list:

• I read;
• I don't look at the audience;
• I skip parts of the text;
• I tell myself that soon it will all be over;
• Representing the audience in funny costumes;
• I use a lot of slides and a quick story;
• I clench my fists.

And many, many more points.

Set aside two more minutes. And write next to each item on the first list - how exactly do these steps help to perform?

Here is what I wrote down:

• I try to finish as soon as possible;
• I avoid pauses and interruptions, possible questions;
• Avoid contact with;
• I hide the fact that I'm actually very afraid.

But do you think it really helps to perform brilliantly? Not! This is the way to brilliant failure! Following these points is an attempt to quickly get rid of the speech and the role of the speaker. They prevent you from using all the advantages of the speaker.

The main mistakes of the speaker:

Wrong focus

Speakers who are afraid to speak create problems for themselves when they do not try on the role of a speaker. They chatter, read, mumble, and focus mainly on their fear. The result is the opposite of what I would like to see.

Rush

When a person is waiting for the end of his speech, he tries to speak quickly. Rapid conversation interferes with breathing. Instead of breathing calmly and comfortably, you take small breaths or hold your breath. This creates an animal fear of suffocation, which further worsens the situation.

Such a rush prevents the audience from enjoying your speech. The less your contact with, the more unfriendly they seem to you, the more terrible it is to say something.

Ignoring the audience

Terrible speakers often try to ignore the audience. They hope it will reduce their anxiety. For example, avoid eye contact with people. This makes it difficult to notice the reaction to your words. You do not see what they are interested in and what is not clear.

When you don't have contact with the audience, you are focused on your thoughts. And they are always worse than they really are. Result? More great fear public speaking!

Struggle to hide the fear

Now you understand that actions that are supposed to hide fear cause even more anxiety. Makes you nervous. This has another very negative consequence:

Even if everything went well, you cannot enjoy success. Why? You think, "If only they knew how scared I am." You get the feeling that you are deceiving people and therefore dissatisfied with yourself.

You can overcome fear with the help of 3 main elements:

• attitude towards the audience without fear;
• conscious actions;
• desire to be a good speaker.

Conclusion

Public speaking is a very useful skill for every person who wants to achieve high results in life. Constant training in front of different audiences will help to cope with it much faster.

Was it helpful? Put "I like" below the article. I will prepare more interesting materials about useful skills.

Did you know that, according to American research, the fear of public speaking ranks first among all other fears? In second place is the fear of death! If you are afraid of public speaking, you are not alone. First of all, you need to understand what fear is. Fear is the expectation of pain. So is your fear real or fictional?

Steps

Overcome your fear of public speaking

Recognize the source of fear. That source is not knowing what might happen when you speak to people. What you are afraid of is not that you do not own the subject of your speech. You are afraid that you don't know what will happen when you step on stage or stand in the pulpit.

• On the way to good performance(speech, seminar, presentation) there is a fear of judgment, a fear that you will make a mistake, miscalculate something and experience physical or emotional pain. Remember that the people in the audience really want you to succeed. No one comes there hoping that you will perform badly and boringly. If you go out in front of them with reliable information and present the material clearly enough, you have already won 3/4 of the battle with your inner fear.

1. Face your fears. If you feel your knees shaking and buckling with fear, remind yourself that fear is holding on to something that doesn't exist that seems real. We can say with almost 100% certainty that whatever you are afraid of, it will not happen. If there really is a real cause for concern, for example, you forgot an important prop, figure out how to get out of the situation and stop worrying about it. Remember, you can always defeat fear with your mind.

   Take a deep breath. Do breathing exercises the night before your performance to help you relax your body and mind. One of them you can do anywhere, even a minute before the exit. Stand up straight and calm, feel the solid ground under your feet. Close your eyes and imagine that you are floating somewhere near the ceiling. Listen to your breath. Tell yourself there is no hurry. Slow down your breath so that you can count 6 seconds on the inhale and 6 on the exhale. This way you will achieve a relaxed and self-confident state.

   Relax. To truly relax, you need to master the art of letting your imagination run wild. Imagine yourself being made of soft rubber. Or imagine that you are sitting in front of a mirror and make a horse neigh with your lips. Why not lie down on the ground and imagine that you are flying? Or just collapse to the ground like a weak-willed doll. Imagination allows you to release tension in the muscles of the body, and this, in turn, gives general feeling ease and relaxation.

   Learn to engage your audience. If you haven't taken a professional public speaking course yet, look for a course that's right for you. Mastering the art of public speaking will greatly increase your success in meetings, sales presentations, and even increase your chances of moving up the corporate ladder. This is a must-have skill for any leader and business owner.

   Use the wall breaking technique. This is a technique used by Yul Brynner, star of the musical The King and I. Here's what to do. Stand at a distance of about 50 cm from the wall and rest against it with both palms. Push the wall. At the moment of the push, your abdominal muscles will contract. As you exhale, push the air out with a noise and tighten the muscles below the chest, as if you are sailing in a boat against the current. Repeat the exercise several times and your stage fright will disappear.

   Realize that people don't see if you're nervous. When you walk on stage or on the podium, no one knows that you are excited. Your stomach may cramp, and nausea may rise to your throat, but your behavior will not betray excitement. Sometimes when we are talking When it comes to public speaking, people think that their excitement is obvious to everyone. And that makes them even more nervous. There are not many signs, and extremely subtle ones, that betray a person's excitement - usually, if they appear, then only for a split second. So don't worry about it. People around you do not see the panicking creature inside you.

   • Bluff. Stand straight with your shoulders back and your head held high. Smile. Even if you don't feel particularly happy or confident, still act like that. If you look confident, your body will trick your brain into believing that you are truly confident.

2. Keep in mind that adrenaline causes a rush of blood to the fight centers of the brain at the base of the skull. Place your hands on your forehead and gently massage it. It will cause a rush of blood to those think tanks who are responsible for the success of your speech.

   Exercise. Use every opportunity to practice - find communities or organizations where you can organize performances. Don't forget that for public speaking you should choose a topic in which you can consider yourself an expert. Talking about a topic you don't know much about will only increase your stress and make it harder for you to speak.

   Buy software, which allows you to record your speech on a computer. Take notes and listen to them so you can see what needs to be worked on in the future. Invite professionals in this field to your presentation and ask them to give you feedback. Every time you have to speak, use this as additional opportunity to study.

3. Get ready. Make sure you are fluent in your presentation material. Write detailed plan, break it down into main sections and memorize them. Write subsections and title your speech. The following is an idea that helps memorize the logic of the speech:

   • Match each part of the plan with a specific room in your apartment / house. The first point is the hallway. The second is a corridor, a kitchen, a hall, etc. (take a walk in your imagination around your house)
   • Match each subsection of the plan with the picture on the wall. Imagine a picture in a picture that will help you remember main idea subsection. The funnier the image, the better your memory will work (the main thing is that these images do not distract you from the performance).
   • In the morning before the presentation, mentally “walk around the house” to “decipher” the memorization technique.
   • Trust yourself.
   • Only you know what you're going to say or do, so it's okay to make changes to your presentation as the presentation progresses. (And it's perfectly fine not to say word for word what you've written ahead of time.)
   • It gets easier over time. Practice is a great thing.
   • Remember: your excitement is imperceptible to you.
   • Don't take anything personally.
   • SMILE and try to put in a couple of jokes to hide your excitement. Audience (in good sense) will laugh and think that you have a great sense of humor. Just don't try to make your audience laugh in serious situations - at a funeral or an important event - or you risk getting yourself in trouble!
   • Remember: even the best professionals use every opportunity to learn something new!
   • Say to yourself: "The one who stands before everyone is worthy of admiration."
   • If you think that the people you are speaking to will be too critical of you, imagine your loved ones, relatives, friends in their place and speak as if for them. Those closest to you will not criticize you for mistakes.
   • Be yourself.
   • Remember that when you are asked to speak, if you come from a position of service, you will never fail. Remember, it's not about you. It's about who you're speaking to - your audience. You are not a star, they are stars.
   • If you go to school, always volunteer to read a text or assignment aloud.

   Warnings

   • Don't ruin your presentation using Power Point! Abuse of this format will put your audience to sleep!
   • Do not give incorrect or unsupported answers. Offer to put the question on hold and ask, "Do you mind if I answer your question during the break as I need to clarify the information."
   • If you don't know the answer to a question, ask the audience (you don't even have to admit that you don't have the answer - you just address the question to the audience).
   • (avoid standing behind lecterns, tables, or any other physical objects, serving as a barrier between you and your audience).