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3 Tips to Better Prepare for Public Speaking

Imagine you are standing in front of hundreds or thousands of guests and holding a mic in one hand to deliver a speech. Does it scare you? Do your palms or forehead sweat in such situations? If yes, you are not alone. Fear of public speaking, a.k.a. Glossophobia, is one of the greatest fears in the world that a significant number of people suffer from.

According to a study, Epidemiology of Social Phobia, 89.4% of patients with a social anxiety disorder reported to have a fear of public speaking, while 63.9% had a fear of entering a room occupied with others. The numbers are certainly alarming.

The good news is you can overcome this hesitation, fear, or the adrenaline rush that urges you to flee or disappear from the stage. The solution to this common yet dreadful problem is Professional Development and Public Speaking Training. Once you know the tricks, tips, and techniques to shoo away your fear of public speaking, nothing can stop you from growing or going ahead in the career.

Here, we are going to share 3 tips to improve public speaking and help you reduce anxiety.

  1. Practice a Lot and Prepare Yourself Beforehand!

Pounding heartbeat and trembling hands are pretty normal. So, don’t embarrass yourself. You should not associate these feelings with poor performance. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you aware of the surroundings and alerts you to give your best. All you need to do is to come prepared at the stage. Give enough time to practice and prepare for the role you are invited to do. Create notes of important points, practice a lot, videotape yourself, and find out how you sound and appear while speaking. Then, work out on your down points.

  1. Get an Idea of Your Target Audience and Make Yourself Comfortable with It.

Knowing in advance what kind of audience you are going to interact makes it a lot easier for you to speak with comfort. Craft your message in a way that not only supports the intended idea but also touches the heart of audience. Learn about your listeners as much as you can, choose your words wisely, level of information to be shared, and incorporate stimulus that reinforces your relationship with the audience. When you believe that you truly have something eye-opening or that your audience can relate to, you will feel more confident and comfortable as well.

  1. Express Yourself, Use Humor, Tell Stories and Effective Language

First of all, learn one rule. Never fall in the trap of prejudice. ‘Setting expectations’, ‘thinking you are not good enough’, or ‘your audience is way too highly intellectual’ is not going to take you anywhere in life. Just remember one thing that you are the controller and you can create the environment the way you want.

Be yourself and don’t talk too much or too less. Calm your mind and demonstrate your energy in your way of speaking. Use tools like stating facts, examples, stories, and even humor that create interest in the audience and compel them to think, understand, and reflect. Your audience will develop a trust in you if they can see the real you.

Don’t Fool Yourself. Take the Right Step Now!

 

Not doing something to remove the fear of public speaking will do more harm than you can think of. In fact, people who have social anxiety disorder (of which glossophobia is a major subset), also suffer 10% impairment in wages, 10% impairment in college graduation, and 15% impairment in the ability to obtain a leadership or managerial position, as per the report of Columbia University.

So, don’t obstruct your growth and success. Grab the opportunity before others take it from you. Professional development and public speaking training can help you handle all the problems, groom your personality, and polish your public speaking skills.

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