Public speaking anxiety is a real issue for many, many people. In fact, when asked what frightens them the most, a majority of people respond, “public speaking”.
That’s right, according to many surveys, more people are scared of speaking in front of strangers than they are of death. And that’s too bad because as I’ve mentioned many times, public speaking is the NUMBER ONE WAY business leaders and entrepreneurs can increase brand awareness, reach and their bottom line!
If you’ve thought about speaking as a means of getting your marketing message in front of the right group of people, while being seen as an industry expert, but the thought of getting up in front of people makes you queasy, keep reading.
I’m about to share some very powerful public speaking anxiety tricks you can use to defeat fear of speaking and grow your business exponentially. But before we dive into the tricks, let’s take a look at science. I don’t know about you, but cold, hard scientific facts always make me feel calmer about things.
Why Does Public Speaking Anxiety Exist in the First Place?
Did you ever wonder why your heart races and your hands get cold and clammy at the mere idea of speaking in front of others? Logic would tell us that to feel this way is silly. After all, people choose to show up and sit in those seats. They want to hear what you have to say because they know you have knowledge and expertise that can help them. So why on Earth should you feel nervous when the audience is more than happy to hear what you have to say?
For that answer, we must turn to neuroscience, which tells us public speaking anxiety is hardwired into our biology. Our ancestors’ very lives depended on staying alert and aware of any possible danger in the immediate area. Our ancestors also knew that to survive, they had to work together and stay together as a cohesive group. Anyone who got lost or separated from the group was considered a goner. Survival depended entirely upon being part of a group.
When we get up in front of others, we stand there entirely alone, in an open space with no place to hide, without a weapon, and with numerous sets of eyes staring at us. To the prehistoric part of our brain, this scenario meant imminent death. It meant that soon you would be attacked and eaten alive by something with fangs as long as your forearm.
Naturally, our ancestors developed a fear of this scenario and they did everything in their power to never experience it. For thousands of years, feeling this anxiety was perfectly rational.
While it is no longer rational today in the context of public speaking, it is certainly very understandable why we still feel this way. While times have changed, our brains in many ways are very similar now as they were thousands of years ago.
5 Tricks on How to Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety
So if you suffer due to lack of confidence to present a speech publicly, here are the most effective public speaking anxiety tricks you need to master. Although firstly, let’s understand that you can’t help that you feel this way, it’s just science at work, trying to keep you alive. Just comprehending why you react the way you do and taking the onus off your shoulders should help you feel a little less anxious. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to overcome public speaking fear.
1. Use That Extra Energy
When we feel nervous, our body responds by switching over into the “fight or flight mode.” In this mode, our body generates more energy (so we can fight our attacker or run like he**) by producing various chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol.
One of the BEST things you can do is to harness this extra energy and channel it into your speech. Let this natural chemical response make you appear more energetic and enthusiastic to your audience. When you appear energetic and enthusiastic, your audience is more apt to respond with the same energy and enthusiasm.
2. Tap into Your Passion
All too often, people focus on “screwing up” instead of sharing their passion. When you ruminate on making mistakes, guess what? You set yourself up to make a mistake. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. And if you do make a mistake, who cares? You are human, not a perfect robot. But to stop that rumination in its tracks, focus on how you are helping people by sharing your knowledge and passion.
3. Rehearse but Don’t Memorize
And speaking of making mistakes, the only reason people have a fear of making mistakes is because they make the MISTAKE of memorizing their speech. We are not professional actors. We do NOT have to memorize our lines. What you want to do is outline your presentation, know the flow of ideas inside and out, and practice your ideas out loud. Don’t feel the need to use the same exact words each time.
Think of it this way: Let’s say you wanted to share some important information that you were really excited about. Monday you shared it with your coworker Kevin and on Friday you shared it with your neighbor Renee. Kevin and Renee would get the same information from you, but you wouldn’t use the SAME EXACT words each time.
This is how to overcome public speaking anxiety without any complications. While there can be certain sections that are intentionally similar to drive a point home, you are basically just talking to people, sharing your ideas and expertise. So, the moral of the story is, don’t memorize but do rehearse by speaking your presentation out loud either to yourself or to friends and family members.
4. Use Storytelling
I spoke about our ancient ancestors at the top of this post, and you now know that even though we have evolved, in some ways, we are still very much the same human beings we always have been because our brains are wired in a specific way to keep us safe.
One of the ways our ancestors stayed safe was to tell stories. Before we had the written word, we had people sitting around fires telling each other stories. These stories helped our ancestors learn about the world around them and pass on this information to the following generations. And to this very day, we are still hardwired for stories. Science is now proving this.
The great thing is, telling a story will also help to calm your nerves. It has to because you are also wired to be engaged by stories. It’s very hard to be engaged and nervous at the same time. When you stand in front of others, think about how you can tell them a story. How can you craft your narrative so it doesn’t come across as dull and lifeless bullet points? How can you inject your own life and experience into your presentation so people can find your message relatable in some way?
5. Breathe Slowly and Deeply
I mentioned earlier how the body switches over into “fight or flight” mode. One of the simplest and most powerful ways to stop this physical response is to slow your breath. When we breathe slowly and deeply, we send a message to our brain that we are safe and relaxed.
If you feel your nerves start to get out of hand before you take that stage, focus on your breathing and take slow, deep breaths to overcome public speaking anxiety. Within a few seconds, you should begin to feel much calmer and more relaxed. If at any time during your presentation you should start to feel those nerves pick up again, pause for a minute and take another slow, deep breath.
Final Thoughts
It’s not your fault that you suffer from public speaking anxiety. It’s just science and how our ancestors survived the dangers around them. But the good news is, if you try these 5 public speaking anxiety tricks, you should feel calmer and better able to get your message across and engage any audience.
LaQuita Cleare and Team CCA
