Did you know that among all fears, the fear of public speaking is most common? Even the fear of death ranks second!
Speaking in public is very different from playing an instrument on stage. Speaking in front of colleagues at work we will be at times fighting all kinds of fears and negative voices in the head: What if I say something stupid? Will I look professional enough? What if they don’t like my ideas?
What we don't realise at that time is that we are dealing with serious self-esteem and confidence issues. Perfection is the worst enemy, and nothing we do will feel good enough.
Here are the four things that will help you overcome fear of speaking in public.
* Finding balance.
It sounds simple, but it makes a tremendous positive change in the quality of speech. Holding something small—like a pen helps center and balancing. It might be just a pen, but it will make you feel less alone.
* Make friends with fear.
Instead of getting weak because of you fear public speaking you should learn to embrace it as simply part of being human. The biological purpose of fear is to protect oneself from the emotional injury of not being liked or not doing a good job.
* Detach from other people’s opinion of you.
Being liked, accepted and appreciated by others is a basic human need, and since an early age, many of us have been raised to take other people’s opinions into account. So it is no surprise that we show up in the world trying to fit into someone else’s expectations.
Seeking self-validation through other people turns us into their prisoners. If we worry what other people think about us, we are focusing on them instead of ourselves and the message we want to deliver. We can’t control what other people feel, but we are in charge of our own feelings, thoughts and emotions.
* Learn new skills and acquire some practical information on public speaking.
Practise is an essential part of planning for a speech or keeping the audience interested in the topic. The more you dare to stand up and speak, the easier it becomes.
Courtesy: www.success.com
