A quite common fear, but affects us in different ways. Each person who experiences this fear has their own reasons, even if it’s the same thing.
Glossophobia, or more commonly known as the fear of public speaking, is a fear that many high school students face every day. It’s a little more extreme than a nervous tick, however not so extreme that it can be placed with agoraphobia (fear of crowds and public spaces). As the season for speeches has arrived for Cycle 1, the thing people are most afraid of getting closer and closer. There are ways to calm this, but how? This article will give some advice as to how to calm the pre-speech jitters (coming from someone who had to overcome public speaking anxiety).
How do I rid myself of the pre-speech jitters?
It would be wonderful to give advice on how to properly get rid of public speaking fears, but there is always a little part of ourselves that still has the fear. There can be advice given to calm them and to manage it.
The first thing is to realize that everyone has doubts and nervousness with such a thing as speaking in front of a crowd. To be nervous about this sort of thing is normal in a way. The variable however, is how much we let the nervousness control how we want to execute the speech. While you say your speech and someone either whispers or giggles, ignore and move forward. For some, any movement or sound from the audience makes the speaker more nervous. It is more effective to look at inanimate objects in the room. They do not move or make noises. It looks like the speaker is looking at the audience, but they are looking at objects in the audience. However, do not stare at the same thing for too long. This ups the uncomfortable feeling, but it looks more professional to look around then to focus on one thing.
The second thing is to properly prepare yourself for speaking in front of a group of people. There can be many things that you can do to prepare yourself for speaking up front. This can be for a range of things like either speaking up front spontaneously or preparedly. Spontaneously could mean having someone ask you a question in front of everyone or having to stand up front for a small amount of time. Instead of having to prepare a whole speech, it could be a few words. It is best to take a breath before you speak. Also, there should be no fear of having to take a pause. Taking a pause maybe because you are nervous actually benefits the audience in the way that they can easily process the information you said. For the people who have to prepare an essay to present before a group of people, iit is more ideal to make cue cards and know the speech. However, do not rely on the cue cards to carry you to the end. It is better to have the cue cards in case there are words you may have forgotten. It is like an emergency resource. Knowing the speech gives more confidence to the speaker and more ease to their conscience. Practice makes perfect, they say.
The third piece of advice is that you should speak in front of people more. Try to raise your hand in class more, try to convey your ideas more clearly. In the back of everyone’s mind, we are afraid of rejection. It is a part of the human being that might not be the most enjoyable. Rejection can make a human stronger, though. If you answered a question incorrectly, do not overthink it. Some might categorize it as embarrassment, but in reality it is an attempt at remembering information. Just keep the answer in your mind. It was a learning experience. Talking by just answering a question can increase the comfort level. After time, it’s not just extroverts who are the best at answering questions in front of everyone. Introverts can learn this skill just as much as extroverts can learn this skill. It takes time, but is effective. Do not doubt yourself. Positive thinking helps your confidence. Anyone can speak in front of a group of people, even those who do not think they can.
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