If you have fears about speaking in public, you’re in good company, because most college students feel this way. Just in time for CLAS and end-of-term presentations, here are suggestions on how to manage that fear.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Speaking tasks may feel like they are all about you, but the real focus is how to deliver benefit to your audience. So think about what your audience needs, and remember that the focus is on the talk’s content, not really on you.
BUT YOU MATTER, TOO! Take care of your physical self. Don’t eat immediately before your talk, but do eat something with protein on the talk day. Use the restroom beforehand, and keep a bottle of water handy when you’re speaking, too.
YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY. Notable public figures — including Thomas Jefferson, Mahatma Gandhi, and even Beyoncé — have had public speaking anxiety. But they achieved success in spite of their fears — and so can you!
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Practice is key to a good talk, and it is also helpful in easing fear. How?
- Planning well ahead of your deadline makes it likelier that your talk will have good structure and content, which in turn often reduces speakers’ anxiety.
- Practicing lets you discover difficult words to pronounce, giving you time to learn them (or find alternatives).
- Practicing a talk makes you know the content better, allowing you to speak more freely (helping your delivery) and helping you feel more in control.
- Practicing with your visuals gives you a chance to troubleshoot them, correcting mistakes and giving you time to make changes as needed.
- Practicing gives a clearer sense of your talk’s timing, which provides more control over the pacing and delivery of the talk.
EYE CONTACT? Do you have a hard time looking audience members in the eye? If eye contact is uncomfortable, you can give the same impression of being attentive to the audience by looking at people’s ears instead.
TAKE A BREATH. Deep breathing can help calm anxiety (even the Mayo Clinic says so!). Take deep, slow breaths in through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Do this several times before you take the stage to help control your heart rate and calm yourself down.