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The best way to overcome a fear like public speaking and to get better at it the same way you get better at anything... practice it over and over until it becomes natural. At first, almost all people feel nervous and uncomfortable when they are public speaking. But other than just simply doing public speaking over and over again, here are some other tips to help overcome your fear:

- Practice and know what you are going to say - If you go up and speak publicly while being a little uncertain about what you are going to say, that can be a problem, especially if you're new to public speaking. So, practice and know what exactly you are going to say beforehand. Then, that's one less thing to worry about or be nervous about.

- Think positively - If you go up with the attitude that you're going to mess up and embarrass yourself, then you probably will. That thought will be in the back of your mind, and inevitably it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So, when you're public speaking think positively, and about how you are going to do well. It sounds corny, but its important.

- Be friendly - If you go up to speak with the thought that the listeners are your enemies looking to critique everything you say, you'll be more nervous about screwing up or forgetting things... so, just go up and think of the listeners as your friends. Think of the public speaking as getting up and talking to your friends. Just relax. The audience doesn't want you to fail.

- Loosen up - Don't get too rigid and stand up straight and not move the entire speech. You'll look nervous, the audience will think you're nervous, and you'll sound like a robot. Just calm down, don't be afraid to move around a little (but not too much), and again, just relax and stay calm. That's half the battle.

So public speaking is a great fear or many people, but with a little practice and a few other things, you can overcome your fear of public speaking.

Learn more about this author, Juan Leer.
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