Seven steps to removing public speaking fear
There are seven ways in which you can gain confidence and remove the fear of public speaking. These are:
1. Practice correct posture. This might not sound like it's obviously related to the fear of public speaking, but how you sit and how you stand sends a message out to those around you. If that message radiates confidence out from you, you will get positive vibes back which will bolster your confidence. So, learn to stand like you have confidence and sit like you have confidence.
2. Surround yourself with confident and positive people. It may seem self-evident, but if you are consistently mixing with people of low self-esteem, this is going to rub off on you. Conversely, if the people around you are upbeat and assured, this will tend to create a positive atmosphere that you will benefit from. When preparing to speak in public make sure you surround yourself with confident people.
3. Remember a time when you felt confident. Confidence is a feeling, and if you've felt it once, you can feel it again. Remembering back to a time when you felt confident and in control will enable you to re-experience that feeling and help to put you in a confident frame of mind before you start public speaking.
4. Practice. To gain confidence and remove the fear of public speaking, practice as often as you can. When you work on something until you could do it in your sleep, you can't fail to be confident in your ability to perform when it matters.
5. Think about all of the things you like about yourself and all of the things you know you do well. If you have any trouble doing this, think about the compliments you get from people - what are they telling you - you do well? It's a good idea to write these things down so you'll have them to refer to when your confidence is flagging and you need some inspiration. Get feedback from each of your public speaking engagements and look at those positive comments to remind yourself.
6. Don't give yourself a hard time. Don't be your own worst critic, be your own best friend. After all, if a friend of yours was going through a tough time, you wouldn't get on their case, would you? No, of course you wouldn't. Positive self-talk can be one of your best weapons for confidence-boosting, so make sure you cultivate the habit.
7. Don't be afraid to take risks. If you become a regular risk-taker you'll find that it's inevitable that you'll grow in confidence as a result. There really is nothing like forcing yourself out of your comfort zone to increase your confidence. It will also serve to reduce your fear of the unknown, which can be a great confidence-sapper when speaking in public.
1. Practice correct posture. This might not sound like it's obviously related to the fear of public speaking, but how you sit and how you stand sends a message out to those around you. If that message radiates confidence out from you, you will get positive vibes back which will bolster your confidence. So, learn to stand like you have confidence and sit like you have confidence.
2. Surround yourself with confident and positive people. It may seem self-evident, but if you are consistently mixing with people of low self-esteem, this is going to rub off on you. Conversely, if the people around you are upbeat and assured, this will tend to create a positive atmosphere that you will benefit from. When preparing to speak in public make sure you surround yourself with confident people.
3. Remember a time when you felt confident. Confidence is a feeling, and if you've felt it once, you can feel it again. Remembering back to a time when you felt confident and in control will enable you to re-experience that feeling and help to put you in a confident frame of mind before you start public speaking.
4. Practice. To gain confidence and remove the fear of public speaking, practice as often as you can. When you work on something until you could do it in your sleep, you can't fail to be confident in your ability to perform when it matters.
5. Think about all of the things you like about yourself and all of the things you know you do well. If you have any trouble doing this, think about the compliments you get from people - what are they telling you - you do well? It's a good idea to write these things down so you'll have them to refer to when your confidence is flagging and you need some inspiration. Get feedback from each of your public speaking engagements and look at those positive comments to remind yourself.
6. Don't give yourself a hard time. Don't be your own worst critic, be your own best friend. After all, if a friend of yours was going through a tough time, you wouldn't get on their case, would you? No, of course you wouldn't. Positive self-talk can be one of your best weapons for confidence-boosting, so make sure you cultivate the habit.
7. Don't be afraid to take risks. If you become a regular risk-taker you'll find that it's inevitable that you'll grow in confidence as a result. There really is nothing like forcing yourself out of your comfort zone to increase your confidence. It will also serve to reduce your fear of the unknown, which can be a great confidence-sapper when speaking in public.
Labels: confidence
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