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How to overcome the fear of public speaking

4 steps towards overcoming your fear of public speaking

There you are in front of all the managers at your work. You stand up to deliver your report, and it hits you - you can't remember a single word! You forgot to bring your notes! If this sounds like your worst fear, you are not alone. Many people dread public speaking for this or other reasons. Here are some easy ways to help you overcome these fears.

1. Why are you afraid of public speaking?

Everyone has a reason for being afraid of public speaking. It could be a speech in grade school where everyone laughed at you. It could be forgetting your wedding vows on your big day. It could be a speech impediment such as stammering when you are under pressure. No matter what the reason or reasons, you need to be fully aware of what your specific reason or reasons for your fear are.

2. Go back and look at the situation that caused your fear in detail.

Often with a bad speaking experience in your past, you have only thought about the bad parts of that experience and your memories of the event are distorted. Think back and try to remember everything possible - the temperature of the room, what people were wearing, and most importantly if any other speakers had problems. It is very likely that you were so wrapped up in your own speech that you forgot other people had problems too. If you can't remember, ask a friend who was there what they remember. Don't mention anything about your problem. You will likely be surprised to find things that you remember clearly, other people may not even have even noticed. This exercise helps put things in perspective for you, and should help to lessen your fears.

3. Address your problem head on.

So you're not perfect, who is? The key factor is - what are you going to do about it? You need to work on your weaknesses. If you stammer under pressure, then you need to work on staying calm. If every time you speak in front of people you remember your class laughing at you, start small and speak in front of only a couple people at first and then slowly increase the numbers. If it was at your wedding, and your wife has forgiven you remember this - that was likely the most stressful day in your life and it's only normal to forget things under that kind of pressure. If you are worried about your mind going blank, write your speech in full on paper, and then keep summarizing it smaller and smaller. Then expand it back to full size from your notes. And

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