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I've seen a countless number of threads about people who struggle with public speaking, so figured I'd throw this together. These methods have helped me a lot.
1. Meditate - Right before the speech you're sitting in your seat. Breathe with your stomach, in and out and try to empty your mind. Do this quietly though, as to not draw attention to yourself. Don't close your eyes, but focus on something plain in color, like a wall. This will help lessen the feelings of anxiety.
2. Eliminate your negative thoughts. You may think you're terrible, will look bad, sound bad, or struggle through the speech, but really it's all in your mind. Replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Positively reinforce yourself in your head.
3. Know that most nervous habits go completely unnoticed by the audience. Red face, sweating, and even the way you think you sound is different from the audiences perspective. I've video taped myself in speech class from high school, and I looked/sounded/spoke WAY better than I thought I did.
4. Speak in a clear and confident voice. It's much easier to continue talking if you speak with confidence. If you start to trail off or stutter, stop and breathe, and swallow. Long pauses may feel awkward but they're kinda normal and unnoticed by the audience.
5. Eye-contact: When you look up to make eye contact with the audience, this is a good time to take a breath, or a slight pause. Also, if you don't like making eye contact pick a spot on the wall or something to look at that is right above the heads of the audience. A lot of people do this, and it really helps.
Random Notes:
- Don't drink caffeine prior to the speech. It will only increase your level of anxiety.
- Try not to think about the presentation throughout the course of the day. If you dwell on it all day leading up to it, the anxiety to present only gets worse. If you find yourself thinking about it, think of something else.
- If you doubt your ability to give the presentation leading up to it, replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. Make yourself believe you can give the speech.
If anyone else has anything to add to this, please go right ahead.
Hope this can help some of you
1. Meditate - Right before the speech you're sitting in your seat. Breathe with your stomach, in and out and try to empty your mind. Do this quietly though, as to not draw attention to yourself. Don't close your eyes, but focus on something plain in color, like a wall. This will help lessen the feelings of anxiety.
2. Eliminate your negative thoughts. You may think you're terrible, will look bad, sound bad, or struggle through the speech, but really it's all in your mind. Replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Positively reinforce yourself in your head.
3. Know that most nervous habits go completely unnoticed by the audience. Red face, sweating, and even the way you think you sound is different from the audiences perspective. I've video taped myself in speech class from high school, and I looked/sounded/spoke WAY better than I thought I did.
4. Speak in a clear and confident voice. It's much easier to continue talking if you speak with confidence. If you start to trail off or stutter, stop and breathe, and swallow. Long pauses may feel awkward but they're kinda normal and unnoticed by the audience.
5. Eye-contact: When you look up to make eye contact with the audience, this is a good time to take a breath, or a slight pause. Also, if you don't like making eye contact pick a spot on the wall or something to look at that is right above the heads of the audience. A lot of people do this, and it really helps.
Random Notes:
- Don't drink caffeine prior to the speech. It will only increase your level of anxiety.
- Try not to think about the presentation throughout the course of the day. If you dwell on it all day leading up to it, the anxiety to present only gets worse. If you find yourself thinking about it, think of something else.
- If you doubt your ability to give the presentation leading up to it, replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. Make yourself believe you can give the speech.
If anyone else has anything to add to this, please go right ahead.
Hope this can help some of you