Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety: Techniques and Strategies

ElevatEd
Public-Speaking
July 31, 2024

Do you also feel frightened about delivering a speech in school? Are you intrigued by the fact that so many people are looking at you? You are not alone. Public speaking anxiety, also known as glossophobia, affects up to 75% of people due to fear of judgment and low self-esteem. Even experienced speakers struggle with this problem. The pressure of giving flawless performance can damage confidence. You can get over public speaking anxiety by following some effective tips and through thorough practice.

Facts About Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety is considered to be a social anxiety disorder.

40 million people in the US aged 18 and above struggle with glossophobia.

One of the effective ways of curing public speaking anxiety is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

Approximately 89% of cases of social anxiety disorder include public speaking anxiety.

15 million people deal with public speaking anxiety.

Reasons for the cause

Stage fright and fear of judgment.

Consciousness of being seen by numerous audiences.

Lack of confidence.

Unaware of the topic and lack of preparation.

Difficulty in adapting to a public environment.

While public speaking anxiety seems like a complicated concern, it takes some simple tips and guidelines that will make you draw confidence.

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Effective Ways to Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety

Here are some techniques you can consider practicing in day-to-day life to overcome public speaking anxiety.

Maintain constant eye contact with your audience. This might be triggering in the beginning, but practicing it helps to get away with performance anxiety eventually.

It is always okay to learn from mistakes because no one is completely perfect. Try to grab every chance to speak in public for familiarity.

Seek help from your friends who are confident in public speaking, their experiences might help you to be prepared.

Continuous practice can lead to stress-free performance.

When you prepare for public speaking, try to choose your favorite topics if possible or try to inculcate your interested aspects of a given topic. This way you can sound confident and be impromptu while speaking.

Train your brain by keeping the audience in mind. You can imagine the audience while practicing which makes it easier for your mind to adapt to a public environment before speaking.

Students can seek professional help by joining courses that teach public speaking skills.

Opting 98thPercentile’s public speaking course will help you acquire confidence at an early age so that you do not need to find difficulty in your future experiences. It makes your academic journey much more effortless, and you can take this skill forward to your university level and professional career.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: How to overcome public speaking anxiety?

A: You can overcome public speaking anxiety by gathering proper information on your topic, practicing thoroughly, building confidence, and preparing your mind for public interaction.

Q2: What are some common symptoms of public speaking anxiety?

A: Stage fright, shivering of hands and legs, rise in heartbeat, dryness of throat, and losing studied information from memory are commonly observed symptoms of public speaking anxiety.

Q3: Why is public speaking anxiety caused?

A: Public speaking anxiety can be caused by fear of being seen by a wide number of audiences and underconfidence in delivering effective public speeches or presentations.

Q4: How common is glossophobia?

A: Glossophobia is a common anxiety problem, 40% of the population has it according to reports of The National Institute of Mental Health.

Q5: How to calm myself before a public interaction?

A: Take a deep breath, and prepare your mind by imagining the environment before you put yourself out there.

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