Fear of Public Speaking

Overcome speech anxiety in your public speaking class

Jan 12, 2007

Are you anxious about your public speaking class? Believe me, you're not alone. Here are some strategies to help you get over your speech anxiety.

According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

--- Jerry Seinfeld

Is this true? Do people fear public speaking more than they fear death? Maybe. I've taught many public speaking classes, and every semester, the vast majority of the students suffer from some level of public speaking anxiety. Student come to class thinking their fear of public speaking is weird, but it isn't! The students who have no fear are the unusual ones. Because of speech anxiety, many students avoid taking speech classes, which is unfortunate. Public speaking skills are immensely valuable in the working world, so these courses are important.

So how can students get over their fear of public speaking and enjoy their public speaking class (or at least not dread it with every ounce of their soul)? Here are a few tips that have been helpful to my students over the years.

First, make sure you are well prepared. No matter how much your prepare, you're going to be nervous standing in front of the class. However, you're going to be a whole lot less nervous if you know you've put a good deal of work into this speech. If you write a speech at the last minute, you're going to be nervous about standing in front of the room and because you're about to bomb an assignment. Here are some important ways to get prepared:

Make sure you understand the assignment completely. Talk to your instructor if you have any questions.
Make sure you do plenty of research on your topic and can talk about it comfortably. (Here's some ideas for persuasive speaking topics.)
Make sure your note cards (or whatever you use to deliver the speech) are in order and very well organized. Number each card. If you have to fumble around looking for card #4, you're going to be way more nervous than if you know everything is in order.
If you're using Power Point or other technical equipment, make sure it's working. Talk to your teacher ahead of time about how to set everything up properly. If you're especially nervous about the equipment, consider making your speech more low-tech. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and other great speakers throughout history did not need Power Point, and neither do you.
Practice. Practice often, and preferably in front of an audience of sympathetic friends. (If this makes you too nervous, practice in front of a mirror.) If you give your speech for the first time in class, you're going to be way more nervous than if you've practiced.
When you practice, time yourself and make sure your speech is within the prescribed time limit. If it's not, tweak the speech until it is. If you have no idea how long the speech will be, you're going to make yourself way more nervous than necessary.

Second, when you speak, pretend that you are confident. Pretend that you belong up there in front of the class. You own the class, baby. Trust me. You'll be surprised how much more confident you actually feel when you pretend. Besides, projecting confidence is an important part of public speaking, so these are good things to practice. Here are some ways to project confidence:

Speak loudly.
Speak slowly.
Stand up straight (but not too rigid, or you'll look like Al Gore). If you have a podium, don't lean on it.
Make strong eye contact with your audience. This is one of the more difficult parts of public speaking, but do the best you can.
Project enthusiasm. Don't be afraid to go a little overboard. Think of how much more credible your enthusiastic professors sound than your bored ones.
Never giggle. Ever. Well, maybe if you're giving a speech about giggling, but even then, giggle in moderation.
Avoid disclaimers. Disclaimers are statements such as, "I know this is a really dumb topic, but..." or "I know this isn't a very good visual aid, but..."
Dress nicely. A business suit is probably not necessary for a public speaking class, but be sure to dress like you take yourself seriously. No baseball caps, ever. Even if you're giving a speech about baseball.

Finally, relax. This is easier said than done, I know. But here are some ways to psyche yourself out to get rid of some of the anxiety.

Take deep breaths. You'll be surprised at how well this works. If you know some special breathing techniques, use them, but all you really need to do is breathe deeply in and out for awhile.
Do some simple stretching exercises before class.
Avoid caffeine or any food or drink that makes you jittery. Drink something that relaxes you, like decaffeinated tea.
The night before, close your eyes and visualize yourself giving the speech and everything going well.
Make friends with your classmates, and you'll feel better about speaking in front of them. Make friends with your teacher too.
Keep things in perspective. You do much more dangerous things every day, like driving a car or crossing the street. Chances are you've already gone through some stressful or dangerous experiences in your life, and you made it through, right?
Keep in mind that everybody is nervous. You're not alone.
Keep in mind that you rarely come across as nervous as you really feel. Unless you're shaking and stammering, the audience probably won't know how nervous you are.
Just do it. Speak. Speak more. The more experience you have with public speaking, the less nervous you will feel.

Good luck with your public speaking class! Remember, public speaking is an important skill, and this will all be worth it. And all things considered, it sure beats death.

Have some thoughts about public speaking anxiety? Join the discussion!

The copyright of the article Fear of Public Speaking in Study Skills is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish Fear of Public Speaking must be granted by the author in writing.