Are Any of These What You Fear As A Speaker?
1. Fear of speaking to large groups. “I’m comfortable speaking to small groups, it’s speaking to large groups where I get very uncomfortable,” a recent speaker told me. The reality is that speaking to large groups is no different than speaking to small groups – there are just more people to speak to. Yes, more eyes on you can be more intimidating. To lower your anxiety, be prepared. Know your content. Speak to several people who will be in your audience before your presentation. Know that your audience wants you to succeed.
2. Fear of being judged. No one likes to be judged, and the reality is that your audience is not thinking about you. They are more interested in your message. Your audience members do not want to waste their time. Do your homework. Find out what is relevant and important to them. As a speaker, be in service to your audience. Putting energy into a message they are most interested in hearing will garner many thanks.
3. Fear of forgetting your content. I had this happen to me in my very early days of speaking. I got on stage and went completely blank for a few seconds (that felt like minutes). What did I do? I smiled, took a deep breath, and my lines came to me. My remedy for going forward is to always memorize my first few lines of any speech. If you forget content in the middle of your speech, your audience will never know – if you don’t give away that you forgot what you were going to tell them.
4. Fear of failure. If you are a serious speaker, you will take the time to rehearse your presentation. That does not mean just going over it in your head. Rehearsal means that you take the time to deliver your presentation out loud. Practice in front of a small group who will give you the feedback that you request. Know your content so well that it becomes a part of you. Rehearsal also gives you the confidence to know you will be a successful speaker.
A little bit of speech anxiety is perfectly normal and, in fact, can be beneficial. This nervous energy can be channeled to give you more energy in your presentation. Remember that the preparation before your presentation plays a huge role in minimizing your fears and reducing excessive speech anxiety. Let’s take public speaking OFF the top ten list of what people fear!