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The first thing you should do is work out why you're afraid of public speaking. The most common reason is a fear of being judged, but other common reasons also include:
Fear of failure
Lack of confidence
Lack of experience
Not knowing what to say in a speech
Experiencing panic attacks before a speech
Having nothing interesting to say
Once you've identified the reason why you're afraid, tackle that fear using the techniques below. You might find it difficult to work out why you're afraid of public speaking, and that's okay - introspection can be hard. In that case, try out a couple of these different methods to reduce your fear of public speaking to see what works best for you.
Fear of being judged
Pretty much everyone is afraid of being judged, and not only in the context of public speaking. There are a couple of things you should do to overcome your fear of being judged:
Ask yourself, "When was the last time I told someone I didn't like their speech?". Probably never (unless you're a debate judge!). Why? Because that's simply not normal human behavior. Honestly, even the worst speech in the world probably isn't enough for someone to overcome the guilt and embarrassment of telling someone their speech is bad. No one is going to tell you your speech was bad. No one is going to criticize you. It's okay.
Even better, when was the last time you watched someone give a bad speech? You probably can't remember. We're so focused on ourselves all the time that we think others are, too. No one is as focused on yourself as you are. I've been debating and public speaking for the last eight years. I cannot remember a single bad speech someone gave. Maybe I have the memory of a goldfish, but let yourself find comfort in the fact that no one will care if you give a bad speech
Consider why the audience's opinion matters to you. Even if they tell you that you bombed (which, 99.99% of the time, they won't), how will this affect your life? And, more importantly, should you really be valuing someone's opinion if they, unprompted, tell you your speech was bad?
Fear of failure
In order to get over your fear of failure, make sure you prepare well for your speech. You can use our guides to giving speeches to improve your skills and get ready for your speech so that you don't mess up, Practice giving your speech in front of friends and family members so that you lessen the chance of failure. And even if you mess up, consider this:
How will this change your life? Okay, you messed up your speech. So what? How has your life changed? It's not like you've lost anything. You're still alive; you're still healthy. This failure is not as big of a deal as you might be making it out to be. Sure, you'll feel bad for a while, but so what? Nothing terrible has happened.
Even if you've messed up your speech, the Earth will keep on spinning. The world moves on fast and people will forget about your mistake. Like I said before, people don't really remember speeches, much less bad speeches. At worst, people will remember for a day or two, but then, more interesting things will happen. No one will remember your bad speech for as long as you will, so relax.
The final thing to think about is that you'll probably never see the audience again, so who cares what they think? Now, this only applies to cases where you don't know your audience, like public speaking or debating competitions. As a young debater, I was terrified of giving speeches until I realized: I won't see these people again, so it doesn't matter what they think of my speech. Instead, I should focus on giving my speech to the best of my ability.
Lack of confidence
Overcoming a lack of confidence can be done using many of the same techniques used to overcome a fear of being judged, since both of these tend to stem from the same place. Ask yourself whether anyone is actually likely to tell you your speech was bad and whether anything in your life will change as a result of this.
You should also try to raise your self-esteem in order to improve your confidence. In the short-term, this can be done through some of our journalling prompts on the Speak Up app. Think about what qualities you like about yourself, and what value you bring into the world. Try to remember moments you're proud of. In the long-run, overcoming a lack of confidence requires building a good sense of self. Find some hobbies you enjoy, and really get into them. Try new experiences. Talk to new people, and surround yourself with friends.
Lack of experience
First of all, everyone has to start somewhere. Anyone who has ever opened their mouth has had to give a first speech with no previous experience. Think about it: no one is born with an innate ability to give a speech. Similarly, I've never heard of babies giving speeches in the womb, so no one is born with any more public speaking experience than anyone else. Everyone has to start from somewhere.
But even if you've never given a formal speech before, you're probably not starting from nowhere. You've likely raised your hand to answer questions in class - that's public speaking. You've likely talked to a group of people before - that's public speaking. You've likely given a presentation in class before - that's public speaking. Even if you think you don't have experience, you do.
And if you're still worried about not having experience, then give yourself experience. Practice giving your speech before the big day, and preferably present it to an audience.
Not knowing what to say in a speech
Not knowing what to say during a speech is one of the simplest concerns to fix. Simply read one of our public speaking guides to find out what you're meant to say!
Experiencing panic attacks before a speech
First of all, if you're experiencing panic attacks before a speech, consider going to a mental health professional. Some amount of anxiety is perfectly normal before a speech, but panic attacks are not standard. If you have access to mental healthcare, consider reaching out to someone who can help you with your panic attacks.
If you don't have access to a mental health professional to help you with your panic attacks, work backward. Figure out what is making you so scared of public speaking that you're having panic attacks, and tackle that using the methods mentioned in this article.
To calm yourself down and reduce anxiety in order to prevent a panic attack, you should try out meditation. It's been linked to a 24% reduction in anxiety, which can potentially help you with your public speaking fears. Our app has information on three different types of meditation you can use to calm yourself down before a speech.
Having nothing interesting to say
If you think you have nothing interesting to say, stop. Everyone is different. Everyone has lived a different life. Therefore, everyone's perception of the world is different - everyone has a different viewpoint. That means that everyone - yes, including you - has something new to add to the conversation because no one has experienced life exactly like you have. You have something to say, even if you don't think so.
But even if you still think you don't have anything interesting to say, so what? Think of this as a good thing. If you don't have anything to add to the conversation, then your speech is likely forgettable. So, if you mess up, no one will remember - there's no pressure to do well!
Even if you don't have anything interesting to say, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do public speaking. Think of someone who loves the sound of their own voice. Are they always adding something amazing to the conversation? No. Are they talking despite this? Yes. You have as much of a right to speak as anyone else - don't forget that.
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