10 ways to reduce the fear of public speaking



1.There are many people who are scared of public speaking. In my opinion you need to prepare fully for the presentation or speech. Make sure you know what you're going to say well in advance. You should never 'wing it' and believe that something useful will come out of your mouth! Normally it doesn't unless you're very confident.

2.Print out your speech or presentation and write notes beforehand. If you are giving a presentation then write notes alongside the slide pictures. Don't write too much though or you'll get confused and lose track. Just make some brief bullet points that you can follow and refer back to during the presentation.

3.Practice, practice, practice in front of whoever you can: the dog, cat, the mirror or your spouse (if you have the nerve). This may seem quite daunting and sometimes giving the presentation or speech in front of one person at home is worse than a room full of people. But it will give you more confidence.

4.Join a Network Marketing company to increase your chances to give a presentation. When you join a company you are given the opportunity to present in front just a few people at first, then the audience size will increase as will your confidence. This may seem scary but you need to confront your fear to eliminate it.

5.Ask for positive feedback or constructive criticism during your preparation. Remember, whatever the feedback, don't take it personally. This feedback is for your benefit to perfect your speech. The more feedback you can get about the speech itself or the way you are delivering it then the better you will be on the day.

6.Punctuality is key. Turn up early for the presentation. Don't turn up 5 minutes before or even worse, don't turn up late! You will get very flustered and this will increase the nerves that you might be feeling. This will come across in the presentation to the audience too.

7.To get you through the presentation imagine the audience is naked! This thought has kept me amused throughout a lot of my presentations that I have given! Also remember that the audience has come along to hear what you have to say. They are not sitting waiting for you to slip up or to make a mistake. So think positively and enjoy yourself! The audience won't know if you're nervous, they won't be able to see your hands shaking!

8.To deliver a good presentation you really need to know your subject matter. Make sure you have done your research and know what you're talking about. You will then find it easy to deliver the presentation. It also helps if you enjoy your subject matter. Sometimes this is not easy if it is a presentation that you have been forced to do, but if you make it enjoyable you'll be more enthusiastic.

9.Get a mentor to help with your presentation skills. Again you could join a Network Marketing company. They have mentors with many years of experience of presenting to huge audiences, sometimes even thousands. They will be very open to helping you to improve your skills. I have had a lot of free training during my time in a network marketing company and this has helped me to overcome my fear.

10. Turn public speaking into a hobby, join a local amateur dramatics society to practice speaking in public. This will increase your confidence whilst you're having fun. Playing a character may help to reduce your fear of being on stage. You could also join your local Toastmaster's Association where you can practice speaking in public regularly.

by Julie Hanson, (c) 2007