I am going to face my fear

Think about the speeches you've heard and liked. Why did you like them? For me, it's often as much to do with the presentation as with the information. If I'm talked to, my attention is engaged, but if I'm read to, my mind starts to wander. Trust that your speech will be more interesting to other people than it is to you As a confident speaker you will be comfortable breaking the ice and starting conversations with strangers. This expands your social circle and improves your personal life. You can say to yourself: “I am going to face my fear . . . and give that speech even though I’m nervous.” 

1. Take the Plunge jump or dive quickly and energetically. The only way you can get over your fear of public speaking is by going ahead and speaking. It might sound counter intuitive but this is true. The longer we wait to do whatever it is that is causing the fear, the more intense our fear would become. So go ahead and give that speech or presentation you have been pondering over for such a long time. 

 2. Mind matters Dr. Robert Schuller once said “You are what you think about all day long”. This statement is true when it comes to public speaking. We all have this preconceived notion about the things we can do and the things we cannot do. I have heard some people say “Oh…I am such a terrible speaker” When I ask them how many speeches they have given so far, they would say “ Well… none” How can you assume that you are not good at something even before trying it? Change these self -sabotaging beliefs you are holding in your mind. You can become a good speaker only when you believe you can.

 3. Preparation pays Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration – Thomas Edison I remember my initial stages of transformation from a shy and incompetent speaker to a more confident speaker. I would practice my speech around 15-20 times before delivering it in Toastmasters club. This preparation played a major role in alleviating the jitters I would feel on the day of my speech. When you are well prepared you are more confident that your speech would turn out well and this keeps you in a relaxed mode.

 4. Let go of the perfectionist in you There are people who are unable to take the first step, forever waiting to attain a state of perfection. You feel that your speech is not perfect or your preparation is not up to the mark and wait endlessly for the moment when you would feel everything is perfect. But that moment never comes resulting in never ending procrastination. You don’t have to be perfect in order to be good speaker. All that matters is how passionate you are about what you are saying. Just speak from your heart and your audience will appreciate you for your sincerity. 

5. Bounce back Failures are stumbling blocks to success. Let me quote my personal experience here – It was my 9th speech in toastmasters club. After uttering few lines, my mind went blank and I forgot my entire speech. Standing silent I tried to recollect the speech but could not recall a word. I pulled out the sheet where I had written my speech, went through it for few minutes and then continued the speech from where I had left. It was a bit disappointing at that moment but not as dreadful as we think. Now looking back I am glad to have experienced this. Had this not happened I would not have been overjoyed after successfully delivering my 10thspeech. You learn a lot from your failures. Resist the temptation to give up and keep bouncing back 

 6. MAKE FEAR YOUR FRIEND Fear can be your enemy, but it can also be your friend. Why? Because the butterflies can lead you to prepare well. If you dread standing in front of an audience, yet know you’re going to have to do it anyway, then why not use that anxiety to drive you to greater heights?

 7. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS Once on stage, stay focused on what you are saying and on the importance of your message to your audience. This will ground you and keep you connected not only to your ideas but to your audience

 8) Make mistakes intentionally This is another trick I encourage you to try. Once I “accidentally” dropped my notes on the floor, and while picking them up, I warned the audiences that the presentation will be more confusing after this. I heard some laughter from the floor. 

9) Speak to one person at a time One of the most terrifying things about public speaking is the crowd. Just by looking at the crowd, all in silence just to hear you speak, will send shivers down your spine. To overcome this, you just need to speak to one person at a time