Public Speaking Fears, Managing Your Nerves and Relaxation Techniques
by Jeffrey Bingham Mead, Kapiolani Community College
“The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” Those famous words were spoken by American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the early 1930’s. The entire world was in the midst of the Great Depression, a period of stagnant economic growth and high unemployment. People were feeling anxious and uncertain about the future, and President Roosevelt’s speech helped ease people’s concerns. This was one of the most famous and quoted speeches in modern history.
Are you among those who feel frightened and nervous about speaking in front of an audience? Fear and anxiety are a daily part of our lives. You are not alone. No one is born as a talented speaker and presenter. Those are skills that are learned. Good, effective public speaking is related to being yourself and being natural. But often we feel fear about speaking to audiences. It’s common among students just like you. Even successful business professionals feel nervous and anxious before delivering a speech or a presentation.
Nervousness keeps us from feeling natural, so in order to be an effective speaker you need to develop habits that will help you control your nerves.
Stage Fright: Symptoms and Strategies
According to many professional surveys a majoity people would rather die than speak in public or deliver a presentation. Stage fright is a part of life, but it can be managed! I want you to go to the following web site hosted by the Advanced Public Speaking Institute in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This web site source presents the symptoms of stage fright and gives you some effective strategies on how you can manage your fears.
Me? Worry? You are Not Alone
When it comes to delivering successful and effective presentations President Roosevelt’s words have never applied more than they do now. Feeling stressed and anxious is actually not your biggest challenge. Rather, you are worried about experiencing those emotions. Most of the time we worry more than necessary. Therefore you should convert your emotions into a source of energy that will give you the power to make and deliver a superb presentation.
Get to the Source
All of us are individuals. Our personalities are complicated and no two people will feel the same combination of stress, fears and anxiety for precisely the same reasons. Nevertheless, it is valuable to know the source of our fears. This helps you examine those emotions in perspective. Once you accomplish that you will find that your fears become more manageable. Sometimes we feel fear because of a bad experience in our past. Allow yourself to use your experiences here to make a new start! Remember: we want you to succeed!
Fear of Failure
This is something more than anxiety over delivering a presentation. A fear of failure involves a negative reaction to the opportunity to try something new, potentially important and exciting. If this happens to you think back on your past successes, not matter how big or small you think they are. Cherish those memories and bring that to the opportunities you’ll have at public speaking.
Fear of Success
Sometimes a person is afraid to give a presentation to an audience whose members are already successful. Or that same person might be afraid to gain a major success.
Successful people have more similarities to everyone else –they are just as human. If you focus on seeing your life as a series of steps toward happiness and success your thoughts and feelings about yourself will improve. Focus on your day-to-day activities rather than on pressuring yourself too much.
Fear of Humiliation
I can tell you that students like you and successful business professionals worry too much. Often that feeling of worry about feeling lessened is exaggerated. What is really the concern is that while you may not know you will make a mistake you are afraid that you might! This is not a healthy way to live your life. Instead, focus on the opportunities you have to learn and try new ways of communicating with people around you, and in delivering presentations.
I grew up on a horse farm in my ancestral home state of Connecticut. If you know anyone who rides horses you learn that people fall off horses! I have. So, what did I do? I could have walked away and never ridden a horse again. But I decided to get back into the saddle and learn from my past experience. There is nothing humiliating about that!
Fear of Attention
Some people crave being in the spotlight, while others who fear attention would prefer to be on the sidelines. If you fear attention one suggestion I have is that you build up your public speaking and presenting abilities one step at a time in small stages. The other suggestion I have is that you convert your fears into feelings of excitement, and look for every opportunity you can to speak in public. Also, seek examples of people who speak publicly and imitate their style. In theater some actors will adopt a stage persona to help manage fears.
Resolution
Now you have discovered that the sky has not fallen down on you! Knowing the source of your speaking fears allows you to find a connection between it and resolution. In this course you will learn how to publicly speak and deliver presentations in new and exciting ways. The energy that you used to spend on your worries and fears can be channeled into excitement. With time, experience and practice you can develop a positive impression of yourself on your audience, and you can manage your fears of public speaking.
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