Public speaking is listed as the number one fear. The book of lists tells us that people are more afraid of speaking to a group of people than they are of dying!
Does the thought of public speaking make you nervous? You can overcome your anxiety and learn to speak with confidence.
The best way to overcome your fear of public speaking is to make sure you know the subject and have everything under control. Most of the fear comes from the fear of the unknown.
Anxiety stems from worrying about little things.
Will they like me?
What if I forget something?
What if I’m bored?
What if I look stupid?
The key to a good presentation is effective preparation. If you are well prepared, you won’t have to worry about any of that.
Preparation
Who is your audience?
Why should they listen to you?
What are the benefits for them?
What are your key points? Make sure they follow a logical order.
When are you talking? How long for?
Where is the place?
How will you present your information?
You have an important message you want to convey, and some people will only be able to hear it from you.
An effective talk contains only three or four main ideas. What are the important ideas essential to understanding your topic? These are his main points. Make a lengthy outline, collect supporting details, and find appropriate citations.
practice
Practice is essential.
Start by reading your detailed schematic.
Your time.
Familiarize yourself with your material to the point where you can make a keyword outline.
Do not try to memorize the entire speech.
Keep practicing with your outline until you are familiar with its content and sequence.
Record yourself and play the recording. You will soon see what you need to improve and what went well.
Aim for a conversational tone. It helps if it sounds natural and impromptu, but make sure you know the subject inside out.
“Usually it takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Mark Twain
start
Decide how you are going to start. Your start might include telling your audience why they want to listen and how your talk will benefit them. It pays to memorize the first few sentences so that you can start your speech with confidence and energy.
finalizing
Summarize your main points and call for action in your closing statements. If you memorize your last sentences, you will be sure of a strong ending.
If even the thought of giving a talk makes you anxious, you’ll probably be anxious no matter how well prepared you are. However, if you follow these guidelines, you’ll be less anxious and guaranteed to give a better presentation.
You’ll find that once you get over your fear of public speaking, you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about.