Speaking in front of an audience is a tricky task! It can be fascinating, but on the same hand, it can be a little scary as well. Some people like to speak in front of an audience, in fact, that is what gives them a push and motivates them, while others dread the idea of public speaking and try to avoid it as much as they can. However, fear of public speaking is something that many people have. The degree of this fear may vary from person to person. There are many unique ways in which people try to overcome this fear. In fact, some people even explore card games online so they are able to boost their confidence and self-esteem that will help them to confront the public in a better manner. We will discuss this later but first, let us understand what happens when we are experiencing a fear of public speaking –
- We feel extremely stressed – The amount of stress varies but it is still there no matter what. If we have a fear of speaking in front of an audience, we might even experience palpitations and some episodes of a panic attack right before our speech or performance.
- It starts affecting our body – When we are hesitant about speaking in public, or even worse – when we fear speaking in public, it starts affecting how our body functions. For example, we might sweat a lot or our hands might shiver or shake. Moreover, we might also experience light to moderate headaches or stomach aches.
- We might suffer from a decrease in our confidence levels – When we fear public speaking, we might start wondering, “what is wrong with me?”. This will also lead to a decrease in our self-confidence levels and consequently, will also affect our self-esteem.
- It makes us feel that people are mocking us – When we are unable to present or talk in front of an audience, we might have the impression that if we start taking or presenting, other people might make fun of us. This might hold us back for a lot of time. Moreover, this also might disrupt our relationship with a lot of friends and other people.
Now that we know how this type of fear affects us emotionally, mentally, physiologically, and socially, we must find ways to overcome it. As discussed above, some people even resort to online poker or other games in order to exhibit their high confidence levels. And now the big question arises – now that we already understand the importance of public speaking and overcoming its fear, how do we overcome it? What are the tips and tricks we must follow in order to be more assertive, orating, and interactive? Let us find out.
- Practice till you get perfect – We know there is no such thing as a ‘perfect speech but the more you practice, the more confident you get about your performance/speech/act. Moreover, if you know and understand what you want to say well, you are even able to answer all the questions being posed by the audience. So, since you are confident about your content, your fear automatically gets eliminated.
- Dig a little deeper – Think hard and figure out what all fears you have. Try to pinpoint that specific fear or part of your content that you are not confident about and then try to perfect that! Keep practicing till you are able to become confident in that particular part which you were most anxious about.
- Focus on boosting your confidence in general – Indulge in some activities that act as a confidence booster. As discussed above, you can even play rummy online or some other online games that require your wit and mental capabilities. That way, when you gain confidence in general, you will automatically become more confident in speaking in front of people.
- Indulge in some relaxation techniques – When you are panicking before the start of your speech or performance, make sure you take a few deep breaths and do the thing that helps you relax the most. Drink a glass of water and consciously make efforts to indulge in some positive thinking.
- Understand that it is okay to make mistakes – You are only human and you are bound to make mistakes so understand that it is completely okay if you forget a few words or make some mistakes here and there. It is also completely alright if you have a few periods of silence! Do not be too hard on yourself! There is always a next time and you never know… you might forget a few words only to improvise on the spot!
- Understand that having an audience might be a good thing – There are many kinds of research that show that having an audience boosts our confidence levels. Moreover, if the audience is cheering for you and is listening to you actively, then chances are that your performance is only going to enhance.
- Join a public speaking course – If you think that you need some help and support to enhance your public speaking skills, we also suggest that you take some classes or courses online or offline so you are able to work on your public speaking skills.
- Work on eliminating or reducing your stress levels – If you are less stressed in general, you are going to get less stressed before your speech. For that, you have to work on your everyday stress levels. Try keeping a track of your stress and see how you can monitor it. You can indulge in some meditation or yoga, or even play Hold’em Texas Poker or some other games that can make your adrenaline pumping, etc.
Public speaking can be really scary, especially if you are not prepared or are if you are an introvert. You must overcome this fear in order to enhance or improve your performance. However, some amount of fear is alright… it also means that you care! But as soon as this fear starts hindering your performance, you know that you have to beat it!
