What is the fear of public speaking called? Glossophobia. If you feel overwhelmed by this fear of public speaking, you’re not alone. The most renowned speakers haven’t been spared from glossophobia. What does glossophobia entail? It’s not a gentle anxiety. It goes beyond merely worrying or being nervous in front of a huge crowd or audience.
This acute fear of speaking in public makes you feel like you can’t breathe. It can also make your heart feel like a runaway freight train. As a result, you can feel nauseous, dizzy, or sweaty. You can shake uncontrollably or feel the overwhelming need to sprint out of the conference room. Whether you’re just nervous about delivering your speech or you have full-blown glossophobia, you can use specific techniques to muster the necessary confidence to accomplish your dream of speaking fluently in public.
Choose a topic that fascinates you
When you feel strongly and passionately about a topic, you can easily deliver a speech around it. This is a core method of how to get over the fear of public speaking. You can overcome public speaking fears by selecting a topic that:
- Impacts your day-to-day life
- You want to discuss with others
- You can speak on the topic from your heart
- You feel the topic can benefit the lives of those around you
What causes fear of public speaking?
A major reason behind fear of public speaking is lack of preparation. One of the steps you can take to ensure you’re confident and prepared when delivering your speech is to remain organized. Bring your notes and highlight your speech’s main points.
Plan the introduction part of your speech to grab your audience’s attention in the first thirty seconds. You can color-code the important parts of the speech to refer to them easily. If you are willing to implement visual aids, bring them together and learn to use them.
Make sure the technologies you’re going to use can work seamlessly. Be familiar with your phone, tablet, or laptop and ways to cast the screen or operate a projector you’re going to use for your speech.
Practice is the key
There’s nothing more effective than preparing and practicing for the speech. Prepare a script and mention key points. However, don’t read out word-for-word from the draft. One of the major tips to conquer public speaking fears is to practice your speech so thoroughly that you can answer any question that’s asked of you.
To quote the words of a renowned public speaker, “The best way to learn to speak effectively is to speak, speak, speak, and speak.” Thus, repetition is the key to building good communication skills.
Practice the speech in front of a mirror
Perform the speech by standing in front of the mirror. Visualize yourself speaking to someone directly. If you’re wanted to conquer stage fright, you can pay attention to the following factors:
- Your gestures
- Your body movements
- Your appearance
- Your facial expressions
When you demonstrate a calm demeanour and gentle expressions when delivering a speech, your audience will find you easier to listen to.
- Rely on your breath
Sometimes we end up rambling while conveying our ideas. You can work on breathing to ensure your speech’s rhythm and flow is perfect. It’s important to learn ways to pace yourself so the audience can keep up with you.
Practice a few breathing exercises to fall into the rhythm. Not only will breathing calm yu and help you overcome your public speaking fears, but breath work can also mitigate stress and help you gain clarity in different aspects of your life.
- Attend Professional Communication Classes
One of the best hacks to enhance your public speaking skills and get comfortable with—or leave behind—the fear of public speaking is to attend a professional communication class.
You can also enroll in public speaking courses. You can choose from several options. You can either learn more about them at the college level or online to utilize your leisure time.
