As much as many people would like to believe that it is very difficult to overcome the fear of public speaking, understanding the basic principles and ideas about overcoming fear, then you may be surprised to see that it is not difficult to overcome the fear of public speaking.
One of the most common fears that man has when it comes to public speaking or speaking before a group of people is that they do not want to look foolish whenever they commit a mistake in front of many people.
This is a very common source of stress that makes people fear the uncertainty of how good or bad their discussion or talk before the public turns out.
As we all know, there is always the uncertainty of things that could always happen and human instincts usually tell us that in order for us to be made aware of what may or may not happen, our minds rationalize the steps to address these concerns.
The next step that the mind does to rationalize these is to establish solutions to common problems that we encounter.
It is then processed in the mind based on the extent of out learning, experiences in life and a lot of other factors that help us come up with ideas and solutions to address all of these.
Then this is when fear usually comes in.
Fear is usually characterized by man’s inability to think of a logical or practical way of dealing with adversities or difficulties, especially where one does not have any idea about how to think of ways to solve a problem or being unable to prepare for any flic speakire eventuality.
But do not fret, as much as fear is a consequence of past actions or conditioning of the mind to dwell on past mistakes, it is reassuring to note that fear is but a normal occurrence in everyday life.
Please find below some guidelines that can help one overcome the fear of public speaking.
First rule is to relax and free the mind of thoughts that may help increase the chances of increasing fear, rather than diminishing or eliminating it.
One good practice tip for this is to take deep breaths prior to going up the stage and delivering the speech or facilitating a meeting.
This is so since breathing is a physiological human process that helps the mind to clear and aids in the lowering of blood pressure,
Also try to practice your speech in front of a mirror, better yet, you may also practice speaking by asking others to listen and provide critique to your speech, that way, you also get the impression that those listening to you re out to help you and not to castigate you.
After all, the saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is indeed a true testament to those who believe that the more you are comfortable you are with the situation, the less likelihood of you making a mistake and will make you better at what you do.
Ask friends or family members to help you out by listening to you delivering your speech as part of your rehearsal before you actually go on the stage.
Lastly, be familiar with your topic, since this will greatly help you condition your mind that you are going for good times ahead.
Now that you know the common and practical steps to ensuring that you are likely to succeed at public speaking, it is, after all, not difficult to overcome the fear of public speaking.