Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

Three of 10 people can walk in front of an audience, dazzle them with an opening "grabber" statement to capture their attention, and transition to three key points that provide information or elicit a decision. Three of 10 people can do that with accuracy, brevity, and clarity. Moreover, they can do it without fear. You are probably thinking, "What about the other seven?" Well, when the other seven walk in front of an audience they are trembling with fear. Speaking in front of people is the number one fear in the nation. People are more afraid of public speaking than they are of snakes, ghosts, and even death. What are they afraid of? There are two possibilities. The first is that at some point in their lives, they had a very bad experience in public. That experience is indelibly imprinted in their long-term memory. And now every time they walk in front of an audience that one bad experience bursts forth and the stomach butterflies and the shakes begin. The second reason is they project onto the audience, believing the audience is just sitting there waiting for them to forget their lines or make a mistake. So the self fulfilling prophecy steps in and they make a mistake or forget their lines thus confirming their belief about what the audience is thinking. But hold on! You can overcome this fear with what I call "self talk." Here's how it works. There is something positive and rewarding that you can do better than anybody else, something you have done so many times, you can do it in your sleep. Tell yourself over and over again how good you are at it. In fact, tell yourself so many times that you indelibly write it on your long-term memory, overwriting the one bad experience that you had. Furthermore, when you look out at the audience and see them staring at you, waiting for you to make a mistake (you briefly think), say to yourself, "I bet you can't sing a song, paint a picture, play the piano, or write a poem (insert whatever is your forte) like I can. This "self talk" will put you head and shoulders above anybody in the audience. After all, they need you! That's why you are standing in front of them making this presentation. So seize every opportunity to speak publicly and eventually the fear will be gone.