Fear of public speaking and its causes. The article will discuss how to get rid of the voiced mental discomfort, which can harm the career of any person. Fear of public speaking is a feeling that some skeptics may find unreasonable. However, practice shows that it is precisely this that prevents many people from opening up to the intended audience in all the glory of their oratorical talents. It is necessary to understand the reasons for the voiced fear and methods of dealing with such a scourge.
Reasons for the development of fear of public speaking
It is very often necessary to convey your thoughts to a large number of people, because it is important for the career and development of every self-sufficient person. However, some individuals have a fear of public speaking, the nature of the formation of which they cannot even explain to themselves.
Psychologists designate the following reasons for the described phenomenon in a person who panicked before oration:
- Childhood fears … Fear of speaking in front of an audience is a likely manifestation of a kind of embarrassment that happened a long time ago. The reason for what is described may be an unsuccessfully read poem at the matinee, the performance of which caused the laughter of peers or adults.
- The costs of education … Each parent puts something personal in their child, adjusting the behavior model of their beloved child in their own way. Sometimes a dad or mom instills in a baby or teenager that in no case should you flaunt yourself. In the future, this develops into an obsession, which becomes one of the reasons for the fear of public speaking.
- Fear of criticism from listeners … Self-love is a feeling that every person should have. However, sometimes this trait turns into a morbid state of mind. The result is fear of public speaking out of fear of being criticized.
- Diction problems … Not every person can boast of perfect pronunciation and masterly manner of presenting information to listeners. Some take this fact absolutely calmly, but there are people who are frightened by public speaking precisely for the sounded reason.
- Excessive shyness … As the saying goes, not everyone can launch satellites, so there are a sufficient number of notorious or overly emotionally vulnerable people in modern society. The very idea that they need to give a speech in front of a large audience terrifies such individuals.
- Complexes about your own appearance … Very often, such a phenomenon is a common exaggeration on the part of an insecure person. Such people think that everyone will laugh as soon as they see them on the podium or stage, even with a carefully prepared report.
- Neurotic diseases … It is difficult for a person who suffers from a similar ailment to control their emotions before an important event. Consequently, such nervous personalities do not have to be surprised at the panic at the most inopportune moment.
Important! Psychologists believe that all the reasons voiced must be urgently eradicated. Such fears prevent people from making a successful career and achieving meaningful results in life.
Signs of an alarmist before public speaking
It is quite simple to define such a contingent of speakers based on rather obvious external signs. Their condition can be characterized as follows:
- Excessive fun … This behavior is appropriate when preparing for the performance of clowns or masters of the comic genre. Before a serious report, it is necessary to collect as much as possible, and a nervous laugh only shows the alarmist's fear of the upcoming exit to the public.
- Feverish behavior … In this state, the speaker constantly loses the very material of the report and literally everything falls out of hand. Anyone can get excited before a public speech, but you shouldn't turn small worries into a real hysteria.
- Nervous gestures … This behavior is similar to the above described febrile excitement. However, it is the peak of panic before public speaking, when a person begins to desperately gesticulate.
- Face redness or pallor … To drive yourself into the paint to the face of a shy girl of marriageable age, and not a professional who is seriously interested in advancing his career. It is this sign that indicates that a person panics before a public speech, his blood pressure rises on the basis of nervousness. Excessive pallor of the skin may also indicate that the future speaker is afraid of the upcoming speech.
All these signs of fear of reaching a large audience can overtake both a weak-willed person and a self-confident careerist. You just need to distinguish when the state that has arisen is a natural reaction before a responsible event, and where the speaker begins to panic.
Overcoming the fear of public speaking is not a whim, but a wise decision for self-sufficient individuals who want to achieve a lot in life. It is important here not only to realize the problem, but also to start actively fighting it.
Methods for Dealing with Fear of Public Speaking
It is really possible to deal with this mental discomfort using many methods. You can help yourself on your own, and if this is unattainable, you should contact a specialist.
Getting rid of the fear of public speaking on your own
A person is the creator of his own destiny, so you should not blame someone for pursuing failures. In this case, you can try the following means of dealing with the fear of public speaking:
- Auto-training … It’s not hard to do this because few people don’t love themselves. This is considered normal if it does not develop into ingrained selfishness. Therefore, you need to convince yourself that even experienced speakers make mistakes. It's no secret that on the air you can hear a large number of so-called blunders from the gurus of public speaking. There are no perfect people in the world, and this should be learned for yourself in order to get rid of the fear of presentations in front of an audience.
- Meditation … At the same time, some skeptics will say that not every person owns such a technique. However, there is nothing complicated in the proposed method of dealing with fear of public speaking. Initially, you should relax as much as possible and take a deep breath of air. Then you need to exhale, stretching each movement for five seconds. It is recommended to do the described above before communicating with the audience within 5-6 minutes. This way you can achieve the greatest effect from the manipulations performed.
- Clear knowledge of the topic of the speech … There is simply no time for panic in this case, so it is better to devote it to familiarizing yourself with the material of the report. It is difficult to discourage a person who knows what he is talking about with an unexpected question or a sidelong glance. It is also necessary to select the topic that is to their liking so that the listeners can see the speaker's enthusiasm for the proposed material.
- Image creation … A well-groomed person will never think about how to overcome the fear of public speaking. He simply does not have it because of self-confidence. Before speaking, it is necessary to put your appearance in order so that the speaker pleases not only the ear of the audience, but also is pleasant for visual perception.
- Self-discipline … Bad habits should be left far behind the doors of the conference room, where the scheduled performance is due. Alcohol or tranquilizers are out of the question when it comes to an important talk. In this case, such relaxation will end in failure and possible serious problems in the speaker's career. Heavy meals should also be avoided before a performance because digesting them can make you drowsy.
- Avoiding stressful situations … On the eve of the report, you need to take a break from everyday worries and sleep well. Circles under the eyes and slurred speech of the speaker will not make a successful speech unequivocally. If there is a problem of insomnia, then you should not take sleeping pills, but it is better to drink a glass of warm milk with honey in small sips.
- Activation of positive emotions … A person who is at ease with himself will easily overcome the fear of speaking in public. The positive he experiences will not go unnoticed by a wide audience and will allow him to establish maximum contact with the public.
- Consultation with a psychologist … There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in this case, because fear of public speaking can be the result of a mental trauma received in childhood. The specialist will help to establish contact with oneself and give recommendations on how to eliminate the interfering factor in a person's career growth.
Speaker Tips for Removing Fear of Public Speaking
In this case, the advice of experienced speakers becomes invaluable experience for beginners. Word art professionals recommend the following ways to get rid of the fear of public speaking:
- Rehearsal before the talk … You cannot do without this, so as not to get a lot of unpleasant surprises during the performance. You should carefully go through all the stages of the upcoming presentation to the general public. You can also give a speech to your family the day before. This will allow you to correctly place accents, practice diction, think over the details of the speech, and evaluate the speed of information delivery.
- Breathing correction … This aspect is very important in the report, so you should pay special attention to it. A speaker's squeaky or hoarse voice will not impress the audience who has come to receive valuable information for them. It is necessary on the eve of the presentation to constantly take deep breaths so that the lungs are fully saturated with oxygen.
- Focusing on a friendly audience … Any speaker can, based on the reaction of the audience, determine who are favorably disposed towards him. It is on such a contingent that you need to pay the most attention, focusing your gaze on it during the report.
- Presentation of the future result … Experts recommend thinking only about the positive aspects of the upcoming speech. The listeners did not come with the clear goal of throwing tomatoes at the speaker, as some alarmist-speakers seem to think. People attend such events in order to obtain the necessary information for themselves, and not with malicious intent.
- Smile and positivity towards listeners … A gloomy and solemn face in this case is unlikely to win over the audience, but rather cause bewilderment and even negativity in it. The main thing is not to overdo it with emotions, because a smile out of place will look extremely ridiculous.
- Maximum contact with listeners … No one suggests walking around the room during a lecture, but sometimes it is not forbidden to come to the edge of the stage. In this case, you can directly answer the questions of those who wish, without fencing off from them by the same tribune. This psychological technique will allow you to establish contact with the audience, showing the openness and sincerity of the speaker.
- The originality of the presentation of the material … However, at the same time, it is worthwhile to clearly understand for yourself that everything is good in moderation. A good joke to the point or an unusual quote will only brighten up the speech, but the humor in the presentation of statistics is unlikely to be understood and accepted by the audience.
- Boomerang method … During a speech, such an incident may occur when the speaker does not know the answer to the question posed. You should not panic, because this behavior will look like the incompetence of the speaker. The way out of this unpleasant situation is to forward the question to the audience or to colleagues present at the conference. This is done so that the discussion begins and the report turns into an entertaining dispute.
- Trust in public contact … A phrase in the form of the fact that a person is very worried before the upcoming speech will show the seriousness of the speaker's attitude to the upcoming report. Most people are indulgent by nature, so they will be sympathetic to a little panic in the speaker and will internally cheer him up.
How to get rid of the fear of public speaking - watch the video:
Any speaker needs to be clear about how to overcome the fear of public speaking. Assuming failure initially means getting one hundred percent the expected negative result. It is necessary to set yourself up for one hundred percent success, gradually gaining experience with constant training in oratory.
