From Emma Roberts to Prince Harry all have confessed of having that nerve wrecking, tongue tying, and pee in the pants sensation before they had to address an audience. As Jerry Seinfeld rightly stated, “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy”. If these celebrities had let their nervousness consume them they would not have been as successful as they are. In this article we will address some of the ways in which you can loosen up your nerves when it comes to speaking.
ACCEPTANCE
The first step to the road to recovery is acceptance. Accept that you are nervous but most importantly accept that you are not alone. Approximately 75% of the population experiences the same as you do as it is the single most common phobia. But also remember that being nervous isn’t completely wrong. The adrenaline pumping in you as a result of your nervousness, sometimes leads you to success and helps you shine as bright as a diamond.
ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE
"Make sure that you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening! " We might forget a stirring speech but we do not forget a discussion we participated in. Seeing others respond to your content will fill you up with positivity and help you relax. You will easily relate with the audience and their reactions of response will satisfy and encourage you to continue.
PRACTICE
“Practice makes a man perfect”, this is a tale as old as time but one that proves to be the most effective. Read your content out aloud. Practice in front of a mirror or in front of your friends and family. Reciting your ideas to your friends and family will provide you with the required feedback and will make you feel confident about your content.
ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS
Keep your ideas on the topic in a series of succession. This way you will be able to proceed to the next even if you skip a subtopic in between. This will also facilitate you to keep a record of your required pace and pauses. Being organized will help in avoiding a jumble of thoughts or cluster of ideas overlapping each other.
DON’T RUSH
Some people rush their speech in order to finish it fast and just get off the stage, hence leaving the audience baffled and themselves regretful. Take deep breaths and ensure you take pauses. This gives the audience a chance at trying to understand your content. Even before getting on the podium take 2-3 deep breaths, close your eyes and find your peace; this is very calming and helps to settle your nerves.
DON’T TARGET PERFECTION
When on stage, we tend to magnify our mistakes and over think our little fumbles, mispronunciations or skipped sentences. But we forget that the audience remains oblivious of the difference between what we wrote and what we delivered. The audience will not know of your mistake until you mention it or take a halt. The key to recover after fumbling is carrying on gracefully.
AVOID LEARNING WORD TO WORD
“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” Learn only the rough layout of your speech and the key points. Avoid learning every word of every line as it leads to panic upon forgetting. Speaking like writing is a creative flow, let your ideas steer you a bit. Sometimes the adrenaline gets the best out of you. So, don’t make your speech airtight or rigid, leave space for spontaneous modifications.
QUICK TIP
If all fails and you are due on the stage in a few minutes. Remember these few tips, use the washroom, drink a glass of water, practice your speech one time in solitude and talk to a loved one and let their belief in you shine.