You don’t want to appear to your audience like you just finished a marathon. 4. Avoid caffeine. Energy drinks, coffee and too much dark chocolate for some speakers will increase their anxiety. Nervous gestures, voice and problems with your outline can be the result of too much caffeine in you diet. 5. Take a few deep breaths. Taking deep breaths will lower your pulse rate. Taking a few deep breaks before presenting will help you to relax. 6. Keep breathing. Emergency specialist say that many victims of a trauma stop their regular breathing habits. They often instruct the victim to focus on their breathing and move back to a regular breathing pattern. If your speech is a traumatic experience for you, then its important to think about your breathing patterns. 7. Pause for a minute. Professional speakers use this technique. It’s okay to pause for a minute or two before beginning your speech. It’s a great way to get your mind focused on the speech outline and away from your anxious feelings. 8. Use positive affirmations. Our minds work like a stage. You can’t hold positive and negative thoughts on the stage of your mind at the same time.
I smiled and looked down at Beast and said “You’re probably right. He looks pretty vicious.” Then we walked our separate ways. The point of my story is that I spoke to someone who looked pretty intimidating and didn’t give it a second thought. I tend to do this a lot. I try to talk to everyone I meet. This is one of the ways that I overcame my fear of public speaking. If you start small, you should be able to get to the point where you can talk to anyone you meet. Start by saying “Hi. How’s your day going” to the next grocery clerk, bank teller, or anyone else you encounter during your day. You’ll find that people are more friendly when you start a conversation, especially one that is about them. From there you could start taking to people on the bus, at a grocery or book store, or anywhere else that affords you some time to talk. Before you know it you’ll be talking to everyone you meet. It actually becomes fun to see how people react to a conversation with a stranger. Then, the next time you have to get up and speak, you will feel like your just starting a conversation with someone you just met. Your nerves and fear should be at a minimum. So, the next time you feel uncomfortable thinking about your next speech, go out and start to talk to people. You’ll find that your comfort level will rise and you’ll start to look forward to meeting new people.
I also took third place in a stand-up comedy contest. And I have appeared on national television and many radio programs and I do this with a great deal of confidence and comfort now. I actually enjoy it very much. 1. Choose a topic or an approach to your topic that you love and feel enthusiastic about. This will energize your presentation and help to minimize your anxiety. 2. While you may think the audience is your enemy and eager to see you fail and make a fool of yourself, most people want you to succeed and want to enjoy your presentation. 3. Start off with some humor as this will help you to relax and help you and your audience get comfortable with one another. 4. Look upon speaking as an opportunity to do something possible for others. Your ideas can really make a difference for your audience. Many of us don’t get this chance that often in our lives.
Panic attacks used to stop me in my tracks. When it came to public speaking, I just froze up. When you suffer from anxiety and have panic attacks, it can be an overwhelming experience. I dont know about you, but if I have to speak in public, Im starting to worry and panic weeks before the event even takes place. Its a frustrating experience. Public speaking is a very common fear. When youre prone to panic attacks, public speaking can really push your anxiety buttons. What exactly triggers panic attacks when speaking in public? I know I used to turn red just standing up in a classroom and having to speak. Speaking in front of a group turned me bright red, and my heart would be racing, I just wish I knew how to stop panic attacks back then. What about office meetings? Do they make you uncomfortable also? If youre put on the spot and have to express an opinion, do you have a panic attack?