Many individuals that have a deep fear of public speaking dread being embarrassed, judged, or even rejected. They might have had an embarrassing experience, such as giving a speech in class which did not go well. Or perhaps they've been asked to do public speaking exercises on the fly without proper preparation. Regardless of the cause, the results are often the same: the person feels very uncomfortable. It's just the way it is for many people that have this problem.
Communication apprehension and fear of public speaking anxiety are two very common psychological issues. There are other individuals that have the anxiety but they don't realize it. Usually they just sort of deal with the fear as it comes. When you get down to it, the real problem is much deeper than simply being a nervous wreck on stage.
You can certainly overcome both of these fears, but you need to be dedicated to overcoming it. Don't try to tackle it half-heartedly because you'll likely end up failing. If you want to learn how to overcome your fear of public speaking, then the first thing you need to do is to identify what it is that sets your anxiety off.
One of the main causes of the fear of public speaking is what's called the flight response. This is a psychological defense mechanism that goes into place when we're faced with an emergency. In other words, when our body responds to danger, it goes into survival mode. This has everything to do with the physical signs of anxiety such as breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, and tense muscles. It also has a lot to do with the cognitive processes that lead up to it, such as thinking about how we're going to address the audience member's fear.
To get past the flight response, you must first know how to handle your fear of public speaking. The key here is to understand that this isn't something that you have to fight. Instead, you should learn to acknowledge that you have this fear. You also need to decide that you're going to address the fear in whatever way you feel comfortable doing so. Of course, it would be foolish to try to address the fear if you have no idea what method works best for you.
That said, there are ways to conquer public speaking anxiety successfully. For example, many speakers find it helpful to practice their speeches before they go on. They then rehearse their steps and speech until the words just flow from their mouth without thought or hesitation.
Another solution is to simply take a deep breath prior to speaking. Some people even use a metronome to ensure they breathe correctly. This ensures that they aren't blowing out their voice or having a momentary flight response. Once you conquer the flight response, you can then work on addressing your anxiety over speaking in public. This often involves thinking about why you feel the way you do and then working on a strategy to change those thoughts.
One example of this technique is to visualize what your speech will be like and how it will affect the audience. Then, you can work on addressing the key points of your speech to emphasize your point of view. Remember: when you're preparing for any type of speech, it's crucial that you have all your facts straight and everything in order. However, addressing your fear of speaking in public using the tips above can help you overcome the flight response and get you onto the road to success when it comes to speaking publicly.
