Taking That First Step

How to Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears?

Most of our students react the same way when asked to take their first step in presenting their first-ever speech – with a shake of their heads and a complete refusal to take the stage. Public speaking fear is not uncommon. For most of us, taking that first step to leave your safe audience seat to uttering your first word on stage is an unnecessary, nerve-wracking experience. This thought alone is enough to convince yourself that it is better never to take that first step on the speaking stage.

The reluctance against taking the first step arises from a misconception that public speaking or communication skills are not necessary in the modern world and workplace. This cannot be farther than the truth – communication skills feature as an extensive part of the modern workplace. Public speaking goes beyond your typical presentation before an audience – it develops your ability to deliver complex ideas in a coherent, concise and compelling manner to any audience. This is important whether it is that simple conversation in a lift or a high-impact business presentation!

In this post, I will run through two quick tips to help you overcome that initial reluctance and take that first, brave step in becoming an effective public speaker:

Tip #1. Keep Calm and Pause

The pause is an underrated technique. Aside from the use of pauses during a speech, pauses are an effective tool to use before you start speaking to calm yourself down and prep your mind before your speech. Imagine being called upon to give an impromptu speech – your mind starts racing with chaos as it goes through the various points and stories you have. Pausing is not simply stopping and keeping silent for the sake of it – one needs to adopt purposeful pauses as an effective tool.

• Pause to Focus – pausing gives your mind the time to keep a specific focus on the speech you are about to deliver instead of getting carried away with your countless thoughts. For example, one of the key questions I use to help a nervous client focus before they launch into their speech is to ask themselves this question before they begin: “What is my main point?”. Giving yourself a mental cue right before you launch into your speech will guide you along in a structured and calm manner.
• Pause to Visualise – beyond pausing as a calming moment, one effective communication tool is to pause to visualise the flow of your speech. For example, one of the key methods I use to calm myself before a high-stakes presentation is to run through the main points in a skeletal flow. This also ensures you are in tune with the coherence of your presentation. Imagine that this is your last, quick look at the map route again before you embark on your public speaking journey!

Pause to Calm Down – ultimately, pauses can slow down the chaos in your mind, paving the way for your mind to calm down before you launch into your speech. If you face barriers trying to calm your public speaking fears, pausing while you are backstage and away from the audience will give you the safe headspace to clear your mind and calm down. As they always say – keep calm and don’t panic!

One of the common remarks we hear from our students is that the pause is terrifying or that it is a sign of lack of confidence when someone pauses. On the contrary, a 1 – 2 seconds pause shows comfort and confidence as a speaker in controlling your mind, your space on stage and your time with the audience. Taking a purposeful pause will help you to serve your purpose!

Tip #2. Internalise Your Fear, Externalise Your Cheer

“I don’t know what to say”; “How do I make this story more exciting?”

At times, we find ourselves uttering out our very fears before an audience. These were some of the common phrases I hear from some of our students before they launch into their speech. The common reasons given for doing so is to ‘manage the audience’s expectation’.

When you start by verbalising your fears to the audience, you lower their expectations and allow them to question your capabilities before you even start. The audience has no idea how you will perform or what your speech is about. Flagging out your fears creates a self-fulfilling cycle – your audience loses trust in you before you even start your presentation and you end up feeling disappointed at the end of your presentation. Instead, internalising and being comfortable with your fear is an effective way to control the success of your presentation!

Internalising your public speaking fears does not mean ignoring them. Instead, transforming those fears into positive energy and externalising your cheer through simple exercises such as smiling, or pauses will help you set the stage before you launch into your brilliant speech. The next time you feel the urge or temptation to verbalise your fears, channel that energy inwards instead and start exuding cheer in the form of smiles and stage confidence!

Fear Exists. Let Cheer Persist!

Final Thought:

A Single Baby Step is Better Than No Step At All!

Finally, remember that when the fear or nerves start kicking in again, it is important to take a step, no matter how small, towards nurturing your public speaking experience. Start with simple, baby steps instead of aiming for the perfect step before taking the leap. The journey to be a confident public speaker is not instantaneous, but the journey cannot start while you remain as an audience member. The next time you have an opportunity to speak before a stage – take the chance to be in the spotlight by storm!

Let Public Speaking Academy guide you as you take your first steps along your personal growth journey towards eloquence, confidence and influence!

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Don’t worry, my fellow working professionals, public speaking training is not age discrimatory because effective communication skills are universal – remember, it is always Nurture Over Nature (i.e. it is never too late to learn public speaking). Learn how our Public Speaking Courses for Adults can help you present and speak with charisma as well as high impact!