Speech Anxiety
Managing Speech Anxiety Effectively
Almost all of us have had an experience giving a speech sometime
or the other. It could be as the best man at your friendĄ¯s
wedding or as the valedictorian at your graduation ceremony.
We all know that public speaking doesnĄ¯t come naturally to
most people. Though some people breeze through the monologue
comfortably, most of the rest have the typical symptoms of
speech anxiety.
Tips to Combat Speech Anxiety
People fear speeches mainly due to the audience and not wanting
to look like a failure in front of them. First of all, if
you wish to reduce speech anxiety, then you should know your
audience and prepare the speech based on what they will understand
best.
The speech should be in the simplest of words. First of all,
you can try to memorize the concepts and the flow of topics,
rather than memorizing word by word. Difficult concepts can
be simplified and put in front of the audience with the help
of visual aids, like PowerPoint or over head projectors.
However, the most important technique to prevent speech anxiety
is to practice, practice and practice, again and again. Your
confidence will increase by knowing your speech well. Practice
should be done on your own, where you can do it in front of
a mirror and then a fake audience. Often people, video tape
their speech to review it later and improve anything lacking.
Before the actual day of the speech, do some exercise to
refresh yourself, have a proper meal and dress in your best
clothes to boost your confidence. And also, you should avoid
wearing high heeled shoes or tight fitting clothes as something
uncomfortable could distract you from your speech.
Always start your speech slowly and clearly. Try to remain
as calm as you can, breathing deeply in between topics. Then,
you should give yourself a break in between as you go to the
projector or screen.
The symptoms of speech anxiety may start all of a sudden.
If you feel the onset of blushing, sweating or you feel your
heart racing, pause for a minute, then recollect your thoughts
and continue as if nothing has happened. Keep on practicing
this act will bring you to a stage when you will be in total
control of your speech.
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