10 Ways to Combat Anxiety and Speak in Public

They are actually very few people in the world that are comfortable speaking in public, whether it is to 10 people or a thousand. But it is part of our working lives that we have to learn to cope with. This does not have to be hard though as there are many things we can use to prevent anxiety or panic setting upon us and lead you to execute the best meeting, presentation or speech possible.

There are many reasons why speaking in public causes anxiety, there is usually a trigger that has happened in the past that has caused excessive worry about what others are thinking and feeling about you. From this, your body misinterprets the release of adrenalin as fear. This then snowballs every time the same trigger occurs until the mind leads the body to believe you are in a situation where your life is at threat. Realistically it is not but this is such a common occurrence and normal occurrence that you must first realise you are not alone and that is can be dealt with.

Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways in the body but sweating, stuttering, fast pulse, blushing, nausea and/or sickness are extremely common feelings when it comes to speaking in public and is extremely common. Excessive worry about what others are thinking about you, fear of making a mistake and seeming incompetent or the false belief that people will not like you if you do something well or even right are all irrational thoughts we conjure up in our minds that leads to anxious and panicked behaviours and emotions when speaking in front of others. However, here are 10 tips to help you cope with your anxiety, beat it and speak comfortably in public.

1. Record yourself: Listen to your voice and learn how to use it to iterate points, keep the crowd’s attention and be comfortable with yourself. Know what you need work on ans what you are good at and exploit this.

2. Look in the mirror: By watching yourself speak and interact you will learn a lot about yourself and how you gesture, speak and move. You can rehearse certain meetings or presentations thinking about what you would want to see and teach yourself.

3. Watch and listen to others: Learn from your colleagues, friends or family. Choose someone you think seems comfortable speaking to others and see what it is that keeps you listening to them, emulate aspects of this.

4. Audience at home: Get your friends and family to watch you, speak in front of them to practice. Over time you will become more at ease speaking in front of people as your body and mind will associate it with the calmness you feel speaking in front of people you know. This will create positive association. It will also teach you how to build a rapport with your audience which makes both sides comfortable with one another creating a motivated atmosphere.

5.. Breathe: This may seem obvious, I know, but anxiety can cause shortness of breath because you begin to panic. But through your practice concentrate on your breathing, when to take breaths and regulate yourself. It may sound silly to say practice your breathing but it is not, it is merely helping your body and mind to understand it does not need to panic under a stressful situation as you will condition it to understand you are not fearful or panicky over your speaking in public.

6. Right or wrong?: If you make a mistake keep telling yourself…well who doesn’t? It is O.K. to make a mistake, everyone does it, moves on and forgets it just as they will with you, and this is 100% true. Nothing bad will happen if you do, fact. So, instead by following the points above, concentrate on what you do right and relish in this, get feedback.

7. Know your stuff: Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, just by knowing what you are going to say and being prepared for any questions will take out that feeling of the unknown for you and instantly put your mind and body at ease creating a sense of calm. Also, by turning up early to your appointment can make all the difference, get to know the layout, where will people be sitting, where are you most comfortable standing/sitting? Take in every aspect and get at ease with your surroundings.

8. You are there for a reason: Sometime it is easier said than done and this is not an overnight thing but can be achieved with practice, but you MUST think positively about the whole thing. You have been asked to do this for a reason. Speaking in public is not an everyday thing which is why it can cause great anxiety. However out trust and belief in yourself. If others around you thought you were inadequate or incompetent you would not have been expected to do the job you have been chosen to do, simple.

9. Understand why it is you are anxious or fear the worst: As mentioned previously there is some sort of trigger or experience in you past that has led to your body to show signs of anxiety. Ask yourself why in this situation you are nervous or anxious and answer them truthfully. But after doing this also ask what will REALLY happen for example - I) I am scared I will make a mistake II) If I do make a mistake will laugh at me? III) The audience are there because they need this information and have all made mistakes before so will not laugh, they probably won’t even notice or remember. By understanding what makes you nervous you can hit it head on and begin to retrain your mind into thinking that it is actually not that bad speaking in public. What ever you believe to be the worst thing to happen to you is never true. Positive thinking!

10. Small steps: Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Follow each step and imagine the bigger picture to get you there whether it is a promotion at work, teaching someone something or reaching a personal goal. The idea that you should not feel experience anxiety can perpetuate it further. The first step is to have a open mind and begin to use coping methods such as these to reach your goals.

Changing our lives can seem daunting and overwhelming at first as confidence can be low which affects many, if not all aspects of your life; leaving you feeling ‘safe’ in your fear, no matter what it is. Speaking in public is a fear that many of us experience and is a manifestation of other’s fears and thoughts about ourselves and the level of our self esteem. If you do find it difficult to make speeches, hold meeting's at work or make conversation in groups use these tips bit by bit to build your confidence and see how it helps you with other areas of your life and make that worry of what others think of you subside.