It is incredibly hard to get up in front of the room and speak. Whether you think you know your stuff or not, it can be a debilitating prospect. Many of the people that I work with, struggle with public speaking. However, the audience would never even know it. By the time they are up in front of the room, they are as smooth as butter. It’s the weeks, days, nights and hours before that moment that cause the biggest worry. Here are some tools you can use to help ease the fear of the fear.
Center Yourself
How do you want to impact the audience? Maybe you want them to feel at home, feel confident or feel energized. Perhaps you want them to have empathy, compassion or inspiration. Do you might want them to feel a bit of the pain so that they are moved to stronger action? Now think about who you need to be in order to have that impact. Perhaps you need to be the visionary, the storyteller, the teacher or the clown. Maybe you need to be the dancer that knows how to move with the conversation, the ocean wave that comes in hard then pulls back then comes in again or you may just need to bring on your Oprah! Center in on how you want to show up and the impact you want to leave behind. You can do this in the weeks before a talk, the day of or even just moments before. It can be an idea a mantra or an image of what you want that can help you lock in the impact and why you are even showing up there to begin with.
Call Out Your Negative Self Talk
Acknowledge what you are unconsciously saying to yourself. It may sound like a disappointing boss that says “You aren’t going to be prepared enough” or “Who wants to listen to what you have to say?” or “You won’t have all of the answers and you will look like a fool.” Pick out what you are saying to yourself and write it down or tell someone else. As you start to get it out of your head, it has less power over you. You can see the ridiculousness of it.
Utilize Mindfulness
Notice your breath. Take a moment to get in the present moment by noticing what is going on for you physically. Notice any tension or tightness and imagine it melting away, right out of your body. Take in white energy with each breath and breathe out any darkness. Allow yourself to notice all that is around you right at this moment. All of the sights, sounds, smells and feelings. Just acknowledge but don’t judge your thoughts, continue to allow them to pass by.
Visualize Yourself Succeeding
Imagine yourself doing it really, really well. How would you feel? Perhaps you would feel confident, competent or refreshed and energetic. Allow your mind to take you through what you want to have happen. How would your posture be? What would you be wearing? How would you move around the room? What tone of voice would you have? What pace would you keep? Then imagine how people will be reacting to you. See them as clear as you would see it in a movie, reacting in the most positive way you would want. Teach your brain that you can and will rock this presentation. Do this over and over again if you need to. Read it or record it or just think it through.
Put Structures in Place That Build Confidence
Figure out what works for you. Put structures in place whenever possible to help you feel more confident and secure. Examples might be:
• Start with a joke
• Co-present information
• Use PowerPoint (or don’t use a PowerPoint if that is a negative for you)
• Practice your speech until it feels natural
• Use index cards
• Pick a person in the audience, a colleague or friend, that helps you during the presentation with supportive looks and gestures
• Buy a new outfit that makes you feel confident
The list could go on and on and it really depends on the person what structure or combination of structures will work. Do whatever would be most meaningful and helpful to you. Sometimes just one of these ideas will make it easier. Other times you may need to pull out every tool in your toolbox.
Tell us, what do you do to help reduce your public speaking: fear of the fear?