Month: December 2021

Overcoming Anxiety from Public Speaking

CC BY Tiziana Moreno

Public Speaking is when you’re speaking face to face to an audience. Since there are so many eyes on you and so many people listening to your every word, people can get anxiety on stage and become nervous. Not everyone in the crowd is judging you but watching people talk to each other during a speech or whisper and laugh can cause you to overthink and believe you are their topic of side conversation.

Many people refuse to get on stage to talk in front of people or would rather not be a person to present because of how anxious they can get. You start sweating and not being able to concentrate on what you’re presenting because of the nervous feeling in your stomach. Sometimes you have to forget the people are there. Don’t look directly at them it doesn’t help you and can make your feeling even worse. Instead, look above them or concentrate on something behind them so it presents to them your looking at them but instead you aren’t and you are able to calm your nerves.

Being prepared and practicing what you are going to say can help you so much. You can always bring a little note pad just in case you get off track to set you back in place. Knowing your speech can help you concentrate on getting the words out and not so much who is listening to the words. Although notes and remembering speeches can help, do not rush into every word and take your time so you can stay calm and present as you would like too. Remember to breathe and that everything takes time.

From my experience with public speaking, it hasn’t always been a perfect road. Getting nervous in front of others is okay but it’s important you can be able to collect yourself together once again. In my high school class, we all had to present a different project based on the topic you were assigned. Although I had known the people who were in front of me, the fear of messing up still got to me until I realized we were all feeling this way. No one is going to be perfect at talking in front of an audience so if you mess up it wouldn’t be such a big deal since most of them were too nervous for their turn to notice. I took long deep breaths and I talked about what I knew with a calm feeling of reassurance. This helps me in every public speaking I have to do because most people in the crowd would feel the same way about going onto the stage as I would. My presentation was very good and I was able to forget about the feeling by the time I was done.

Just because you’re nervous does not mean you should doubt yourself. Take a deep breathe and do your best.

How to be an Effective Public Speaker

CC BY ND Emily Soares

Personally, public speaking is a big fear of mine. I get really nervous and my voice gets shaky, my hands even start to get a little clammy. It is truly my least favorite thing to do. Unfortunately, this is something that I have had to do since middle school and it is not going away any time soon, so might as well get better at it, right?

I know we have all heard a bunch of tips for public speaking and for nerves, but I want to give you some that have actually helped me. To start, how to lessen the nerves. One thing you can do is squeeze your hand into a fist and slowly release it. Another tip is to blow the tip of your thumb. I am really not sure why these help, but I learned it in middle school and have been using it since. Now, as for the actually speaking part, something that makes my speaking sound better is making it seem like a conversation. This way it does not seem like you are speaking at people and you are actually engaging with your audience. Also, when doing this you want to make eye contact. Do not stare at your notes or your visual aids because you will lose that connection with the audience. (a quick tip for eye contact: look over people’s heads. this way, if looking people directly in the eye makes you nervous, looking over their heads gives the illusion of eye contact without the nerves.)

Finally, I wanted to share a YouTube channel that has helped me quite bit with this class and other public speaking events. The YouTube channel is called ‘Communication Coach Alex Lyon’. There are a variety of videos on his channel that give very helpful tips and he collaborates with other Youtubers who are communication experts as well. If you have the time I would really recommend checking their channel out. I will cite a video of his down below for anyone who is interested in checking him out!

Lyon, C. C. A. (2020, January 21). Effective Public Speaking Techniques. YouTube. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZAhgsQdTHg&feature=youtu.be

Gleeson, B. (2020, February 6). 20 Tips for Mastering the Art of Public Speaking. Inc.Com. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.inc.com/brent-gleeson/20-tips-for-mastering-art-of-public-speaking.html

Overcoming public speaking anxiety…

When it comes to public speaking success I find it pretty interesting the fact that anxiety takes a big role on it. If we reduce anxiety the chances of doing a great public speaking are greater. Let’s check out some of the things that I do to reduce my anxiety when it comes to public speaking.

One of the first thing that I am worry when it comes to public speaking is to not know what to say when the audience ask me something. I think that the best way to approach this is to do a great research on the topic before the speaking about it. If you have a bad memory like me then it is worth mentioning that take a look to what you know before speaking is very helpful because then you’ll remember the things that you must say.

While public speaking I recommend to control speak slowly sometimes. Rushing is something that shows my anxiety, I take my time to breath and to think 1 or 2 seconds what I am trying to say and to who I am approaching. It is important to avoid taking too much time speaking slowly because if this happen the audience could get bored and the sensation of a bored audience could make you even more anxious.

Another thing that reduces my anxiety is to not overestimate the audience, we might think that we should be perfect when it comes to public speaking and I think that that is something not good. No one is perfect so to try to reach perfection could lead us to makes us more anxious and therefore failing. Therefore think that you can make mistakes is pretty normal and that is no shame in fact that is something that any one should face, once we face that we have struggles we can deal with them and improve and when the time comes our speaking skills will be greater.

My final advice is to bring notes. Sometimes we might feel very anxious and we might not know what to say next, notes will makes us remember the important things that we were supposed to say. It is important to say that notes must be brief because we are not looking for reading in front of an audience, we are looking for speaking in front of an audience.

Overcoming Speech Anxiety

CC BY ND Jason Sanchez Rojas

There is something about a large crowd that gets alot of people anxious when talking. We all have to speak in front of large groups at some point in our lives. Whether that be for a school assignment, giving your boss and colleagues ideas at work, or something as simple as speaking to your family at dinner on holidays. I personally struggle with this and I want to give people the tips and advice they need to overcome their speech anxiety

This might sounds silly to come but honestly just fake it til you make it. This is a great technique I was taught by friends and therapists’ of mine. If you tell yourself everything will be ok and you got everything under control, even when you feel like you don’t, your brain will think you actually do have everything under control which leads you to feeling confident in actuality. I use this technique when I am about to present a slideshow, about to perform a concert, or trying to talk to someone. I repeat to myself “you got this” “I’m that guy” “THEY NOT READY FOR THIS” and those phrases help me through large group settings.

Another way I combat my anxiety is that I listen to my favorite music. I personally can’t deal with my anxiety in silence and I need something in the background to help clear my head. Having my favorite songs playing helps me clear my mind on what is making me anxious and I just focus on the words and sing alot at times.

I am positive that if you follow what I do, you will find yourself being less anxious for large crowds and will have a positive outlook on your speech. Being anxious is a normal feeling to have and I can assure you everyone feels anxious at something in their lives. And I can also assure you that some people in the crowd will admire your strenght to come on stage.

Public Speaking Anxiety

For me, getting up infant of friends, coworkers, classmates, gives me significant anxiety. There is something about the feeling of everyone looking at me, everyone listening to me, and everyones focus on me, that simply startles you. I remember significantly my monologue speech. I was so nervous to stand up there that day, but I learned to overcome that forbidden anxiety. I decided to find focus points in the room, rather than looking at the eyes that were staring back at me. Before I approached the front of the room, I took several deep breaths and approached with confidence. Beforehand, I was sure to get more than enough sleep. I wanted to be well rested and confident when I woke up. As I spoke, I looked around at my focus points, I talked confidentially, pronounced all my words fully, and was sure to breathe in-between each sentence. As I walked away, I felt so confident in my speech. My voice did not shake, I did not stutter, and since then I have used those tips and tricks to speak confidently in public.

Last Minute Interview Tips and Tricks

CC BY Rebecca Lovatt

You’ve probably stumbled upon this article because you have a last minute interview tomorrow. I bet you are feeling jittery and the butterflies are multiplying each minute. Don’t worry. It’s normal. Performance anxiety can happen to anyone, even those who are really prepared.

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/interview+anxiety?image_type=illustration

It is important to remember that interviews are not as scary as they might seem. Think of it as just having a conversation with someone in a similar job field. They will ask you questions about yourself, and you should be asking some about them, too.

While you have already done the research on the company and its employees and overall prepared for the interview, here are some last minute things to remember for the morning of.

  • Eat a strong breakfast – by having the nutrients you need to fuel your body, you can improve your brain function and really be ready to nail the interview!
  • Dress the part – what you wear helps an interviewer with first impressions. It is important to “dress the part” so that you look like you are a good professional and can belong at the company.
  • Review the research – while you shouldn’t be waiting until the morning of to do your full research on a company, it would be smart to review all of the notes you have taken on the company to prepare. This includes having any paperwork you need readily accessible to grab and go.
  • Arrive early – by allowing for extra time, you lessen the risk of being late because of a broken GPS, traffic, late ride, etc. When you get there early, you can relax and prepare for the upcoming interview.
  • Don’t rush – when you rush, it is easy to stress yourself out. Calm down! Allow for extra time and get ready with plenty of time so that you don’t rush.
  • Make a good first impression – a good handshake can go a long way. Don’t be shy! Smile and have good eye contact. It is important that you make a good first impression on your interviewer.
  • Be friendly – this goes hand-in-hand with making a good first impression. Kindness can go a long way and is majorly appreciated. Being kind shows that you can be a good person!
https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/job-interview-preparation

If you follow these tips, you are likely to have a good first impression. This is important because you want to look professional and show that you are ready for the role you are interviewing for.

Being nervous is normal, but an interview does not need to be a scary event. By following these few tips and tricks the morning of, it can really help relax you before you walk into your interview!