How To Conquer Your Fear Of Public Speaking

Fear is one of the most primal of human emotions. People experience fear when they perceive danger or a threat. This perceived danger or threat leads to physiological changes and ultimately behavioral changes, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events. A specific stimulus occurring in the present or anticipation or expectation of a future threat perceived as a risk to oneself can be trigger fear. A person’s response towards fear arises from the perception of danger, leading to an attempt to conquer your fear or escape from/avoid the threat (also known as the fight-or-flight response). Fear can trigger a freeze response or paralysis in extreme cases (horror and terror).

In humans and animals, fear is regulated by learning and cognition. Thus, fear is judged as rational or appropriate and irrational or inappropriate. Irrational fear is called a phobia. In contrast to common fear, it can be challenging to conquer your fear when faced with a phobia. 

Have you ever stood in front of a crowd to deliver a speech you have practiced and prepared for only to find your voice has cracked, you feel like your knees have gotten weak, your arms have gotten heavy, and your palms have become sweaty?

You’re not alone. According to a poll, 40% of people are terrified more of giving a speech to an audience than dying! Public speaking is considered one of the most common and greatest fears people face. It can be challenging to conquer your fear of public speaking.

As a professional, there is a significant chance that you’ll be asked to commit to a public speaking engagement at some point in your career. While the usual and most common advice to calm your nerves is to picture your audience naked, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) has developed successful strategies to conquer your fear and prevent the onset of a panic attack. Using NLP, you can conquer your fear of public speaking without utilizing that uncomfortable visual image.

Fear Of The Unknown

Some people claim that we experience fear because we do not live our lives in the present. Instead, we live in our minds. For them, fear is rooted in what is going to happen next. That means our fear is always about possible outcomes of a situation, making it imaginary. Many people suffer from fear about what happened yesterday or what may happen tomorrow. 

Negative thinking or worry instills the fear of the unknown or irrational fear in humans. These thoughts or worries come from anxiety accompanied by a subjective sense of apprehension or dread.

While past events may instill fear or phobia, it is triggered by the threat or danger of the same traumatic experience happening again. Your fear is not directed towards what has occurred in the past. Instead, it is always about what may happen to you in the future. The future is yet to happen. That means it does not exist yet. So when you experience fear, you are suffering from something that has not yet transformed into reality.

Why Is Public Speaking One Of Our Greatest Fears?

When you walk to a podium or stage with your speech in hand and feel nausea and anxiety, you are experiencing glossophobia. Glossophobia symptoms can vary from something simple as a mild case of nerves or turn to an intense panic attack as you experience the ‘fight or flight response.

One of the primary reasons many develop a fear of speaking in front of people is they forget that the entire thing is not about them.  Your audience does not care about what you are wearing, how well your hair looks, or how confident you appear. Instead, speeches are centered on what the contents of your speeches are. Your audience has come to listen to your speech’s content, and they only want you to deliver it well enough to provide them with valuable information.

You Can Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking If You Adopt NLP Strategies

Neuro Linguistic Programming tactics can help you conquer your fear of speaking in front of others. Furthermore, it can assist you in captivating your audience, no matter how big or small they are. Neuro Linguistic Programming can aid you in developing your communication skills, as well as serve as a guide towards growing your confidence and nurturing your leadership traits.

Here are several Neuro Linguistic Programming Techniques to help you conquer your fear of public speaking. 

Organizing Your Ideas In Advance Is Necessary To Conquer Your Fear

Ensuring you have thoroughly made the necessary preparations for your presentation is essential to conquer your fear of public speaking. Write out your talking points or put together notecards or slides. By making these simple preparations, you have set yourself up to recall important parts of your speech much better.

Memorize and Master Your Introduction To Conquer Your Fear

If you rehearse your intro before giving your speech, you will help yourself reduce your fear and anxiety levels. If you can confidently deliver your message, it will help you captivate your audience and set the mood for the rest of your talk. For instance, Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, conquers her fear by practicing her speech in front of small yet supportive groups of people.

Try To Convey Your Message Clearly

Nothing screams of confidence than expressing your knowledge of your subject matter flawlessly. However, you can only do this if you know what you’re talking about.  The ability to get your key points across when delivering any speech or presentation is the hallmark of a great communicator.  They use their words to convey what they want to say competently clearly. However, if you find yourself stumbling over your words, it would be helpful to take a pause and a deep breath. This momentary rest will allow you to conquer your fear, regain your confidence and composure and pick up where you last left off. 

If You Want To Conquer Your Fear, Never Allow Your Emotions to Get The Best Of You. 

Your audience cannot read your mind, so you are innocent until proven guilty. Unless you’ve confessed and expressed your fear in your introduction, the audience will be completely unaware of the extent of your fear of speaking in public. Understand that your audience isn’t out to get you or nitpick at your mistakes. They’re only waiting in anticipation of what you have to share and will have no idea how fast your heart is beating or how many butterflies are in your stomach. Therefore, take a deep breath. Relax. And remember that even if you make a mistake, it isn’t an excuse to let your emotions run amok.

To Conquer Your Fear, Allow Your Personality And Passion Shine Through

There’s a huge chance you are speaking about a topic you are pretty familiar with and feel it’s essential to share it with others. By allowing your passion to be expressed throughout your speech, your words will be more engaging and impactful, and hopefully, your audience will hang onto every word you say. Remember, being invited to speak should be evidence enough that people are interested in your area of expertise and what you have to say.

Knowing Your Audience Ahead Of Time Can Help You Conquer Your Fear 

The mere fact you’re delivering a speech in a room full of strangers can elevate your nervousness and increase your anxiety. A New York Times best-selling author of 12 books, Joel Comm finds it calming to visit and engage with audience members before getting on stage to deliver his speech. Getting to know the people you’ll be giving your speech helps reduce the fear and intimidation you experience when in front of an audience. That way, when you’re feeling the heat, you can look towards familiar and friendly faces for some reassurance before carrying on with what you have to say.

To Conquer Your Fear, Don’t Be Afraid Of Not Being Perfect.

Micheal Erard, the author of Um, iterates that you’ll make mistakes in an average of once every ten words on average. These mistakes can be unavoidable and range from stuttering to using the wrong words or forgetting them entirely. The majority of these errors occur without anyone noticing, so letting them derail your speech is entirely unjustified and an admission of error. It’s essential to remember that you’re not perfect because you’re only human. 

The next time you go on stage to deliver that speech, consider using these practical Neuro Linguistic Programming tactics. Not only will they help you conquer your fear of speaking publicly to an audience, but they will also help improve your speaking skills. Neuro Linguistic Programming reprograms people’s minds to focus on their positive aspects and strengths rather than the opposing side. Remember that preparation is the key. It will give you the confidence to deliver the information your audience wants to hear and what you have to say.