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Jerry Seinfeld once said that at a funeral, most people would rather be in the coffin than standing in front of the group giving the eulogy.  This is said because a fear of public speaking is a fear of many people.  It’s a real fear, known as speech phobia, and the effects of this fear, according to some, are a fast heartbeat and dry mouth before speaking.  Some people actually say they feel faint before speaking in front of a group.  Their voice can tremble.  Their body shakes.  But there are ways that you can handle this, and I’d like to discuss that. 

The first step, be well prepared.  Second, practice your speech.  Third, have a backup or safety net.  Four, try and reduce your fear of the audience; and, fifth, relax yourself just before you begin speaking.

#1 - Be Well Prepared 
You should know your material, who you will be speaking to, and under what conditions you will be speaking.  A professional does not leave anything to chance.  The strategies are laid out, materials are ready, and all details are taken care of.  The old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

#2 – Practice Your Speech
You should deliver your speech many times before you actually give it to an audience.  No matter how much you know your material, practice is extremely important.  The more you repeat the speech the more automatic it becomes and the more confidence you will have in delivering it.  Practice means you say the speech out loud, as this gets the material more ingrained in your memory.  You might even want to deliver the speech in front of a mirror so you have an opportunity to see how you look while talking.  Another tip, try recording the speech, because during the playback you can actually hear how you sound and may see excessive pausing or stuttering.

#3 – Have a Backup
This is what I like to call a safety net.  It can be an outline of the speech, or perhaps 3 x 5 index cards that you could feel confident in referring to should you experience a mental lapse during your speech.  However, it is not acceptable to read a speech verbatim from a script, but referring to notes is acceptable.

#4 – Reduce Your Fear of the Audience
You know it has been said that you can view your audience in clown suits so that they seem less important.  This isn’t a strategy that I usually like to take because I like to always view my audience as important.  But, what I try to do is view the audience as a group of friends.  Realize that the audience is on your side and they want to hear what you have to say and they want to see you do well. 

#5 – Relax Before Beginning Your Speech 
When it’s your time to speak and you’re going to be introduced, take three deep breaths while seated and then once you approach the lectern , podium or stage, always begin by first thanking the person who introduced you and then, before speaking, pause for about eight to ten seconds.  What this does, is it allows you to collect your thoughts and allows the audience to be prepared and then be anxious to hear what you have to say.

If you have any questions about overcoming the fear of public speaking, I would love to answer them for you.  Just post a comment below.

Be Free! 

Gary Castellano
Instructor