How to Overcome Public Speaking Fears by Changing Your Thinking

Most people report that a fear of public speaking is more frightening than even dying. So then what can a person do to get started getting over public speaking fear if they feel anxious about delivering a presentation in front of a crowd? Effective speaking and presentation skills are very important in most career fields in our modern times. Most careers and universities will require employees and students to give some type of presentation sooner or later. Your point won’t come across as clearly if you are too nervous giving your speech, or you might even start avoiding situations that would require you to give a speech. This could even escalate to shyness and other social anxieties. And that can keep you from getting promotions at work or getting the grades you deserve in school classes. The first thing you want to do is change your view of the situation. People with anxiety about giving speeches and presentations often have goals like, “I have to beat my fear of speaking in public.” This is a problematic way of thinking because it implicitly says that you need to become a different person than you already are. What you might want to do instead is focus on something positive. You might think about changing “I must overcome my fear of giving speeches” into something more like “I want to be a relaxed and confident speaker.” Once you decide on what you really want, take some time to write it down on a sheet of paper. Read the statement aloud to yourself several times in the days leading up to your speech and visualize how you will feel and act when you know that you have achieved your goal. When you turn your attention to “overcoming a fear of public speaking,” you tend to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. We tend to manifest what we focus on no matter whether it’s “public speaking fear” or “being an effective presenter and speaker.” Remind yourself that it really all is in your mind. The more mental energy you focus on “fear” the bigger the problem will become in your mind. When you instead focus on what you do want you will be fueling “confident speaking” instead of “fear of speaking”. You might also consider doing other things like Emotional Freedom Technique or joining Toastmasters, an organization that helps people to improve their public speaking skills and presentation confidence. I sincerely hope you’ve found this helpful in becoming a better speaker. Remember to stay focused on your goal and not on what you want to avoid. Good luck on your next speech!