Seven Ways to Speak in Front of People

Imagine that you are standing behind the curtain, about to go up on the stage to face the people that the darkness hides from you, and when you move toward the spot of light, you feel a heaviness in your body with every step you take.

Don't worry, as you are not the only one who suffers from speech phobia, which is also known as Speech anxiety or fear of speaking in front of large crowds.

Sometimes, anxiety occurs long before you get on stage, where your body's defense mechanism responds by the secretion of a part of the brain of the hormone adrenaline in your blood. It is the same chemical that your body produces when a predator chases you.

Seven Ways to Speak in Front of People

here are seven ways to help you overcome your fear of public speaking:

1. Prepare yourself mentally and physically

According to the experts, we are made to show and notice anxiety in others, so if your body and mind are anxious, your audience will notice it, too. If you feel it inside, it will come out.

Getting a little exercise before a presentation helps stimulate blood circulation and send oxygen to the brain. On the other hand, exercise can help calm the mind and nerves. So, here are some helpful ways to calm your racing heart when you feel cramps and an upset stomach:

1.1. Warm-up

If you are nervous, your body is likely to feel the same. When your body tenses, your muscles contract, or you sweat, and then the audience will notice that you are tense. If you notice that, this is exactly what happens to you. So, minutes before any speech, stretch to relax your body.

It is best to start warm-up exercises before each speech because it helps enhance the entire body's functions. Moreover, it increases muscle efficiency and improves response time and your movements. Here are some exercises that help relax your body before the show:

• Circular neck and shoulder movements: This helps relieve tension and pressure in the upper body muscles. These movements focus on rotating the head and shoulders, relaxing the muscles. Stress and anxiety can make us feel rigid in this area, which can make us feel irritated, especially when standing.
• Stretching the arms: We often use this part of our muscles during a speech or presentation through hand gestures and movements. Stretching these muscles can reduce arm fatigue, help you relax, and improve your body language.
• Moving the waist: By placing your hands on your hips and moving your waist in a circular motion, you focus in this exercise on relaxing the abdomen and lower back, which is necessary because they can cause discomfort and pain, increasing the sense of fear you are experiencing.

1.2. Maintain adequate levels of water in your body

Have you ever felt thirsty seconds before speaking, then went on stage and sounded raspy in front of the audience? This happens because adrenaline causes your mouth to dry out due to stage fright.

To prevent this from happening, we must maintain adequate levels of water in our bodies before giving a speech. A sip of water will be sufficient; however, drink in moderation so that you do not need to go to the bathroom constantly, and try to avoid sugary drinks and caffeine because it is a diuretic, which means you will feel thirsty, and this will also increase your anxiety, preventing you from speaking smoothly.

1.3. Meditation

Meditation is known to be an effective tool for calming the mind. ABC journalist Dan Harris, co-host of Nightline and Good Morning America Weekend and author of 10% Happier, recommends that meditation can help individuals feel significantly calmer and faster.

Meditation is an exercise for your brain. It gives you the strength and focus to eliminate negative things and distractions with words of encouragement, confidence, and power. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is a popular way to calm yourself before stepping onto a big stage.

This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and then drawing your mind's attention to what's right now, without thinking about past or future fears, which often include stumbling on stage speech.

2. Focus on your goal

People who are afraid of public speaking have one thing in common: focusing so much on themselves and the potential for failure. You might secretly wonder, "Do I look funny? What if I don't remember what I'm going to say? Do I look stupid? Will people listen? Does anyone care what I'm talking about?" Instead of thinking this way, turn your attention to your only true goal and offer something useful to your audience.

Decide how much progress you want your audience to make after your presentation, and note their movements and expressions to modify your speech. Ensure that they are having a good time before they leave. If the topic you are talking about is unhelpful, turn that into something useful. This is also key to building trust during your presentation. The audience can clearly see that you care about them.

3. Converting Negative to Positive

Two sides are constantly fighting inside of us, one full of strength and courage and the other full of doubt and mistrust. You might be wondering, "What if I miss this speech? What if I'm not cute enough? What if I forget what I'm going to say?"

No wonder most of us don't feel comfortable giving a presentation. All we do is get frustrated before we can prove ourselves. This is also known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is a belief that comes true because we act as if it really were. If you think you are incompetent, it will eventually become a reality.

Motivational coaches affirm that positive phrases and praise build confidence in you at the most important moments. So, tell yourself, “I'm going to give this speech and I can do it well.” Use your adrenaline rush to encourage positive outcomes rather than negative thinking.

4. Understand your content

Knowing your content helps reduce anxiety because there is nothing to worry about, and to figure it out, you have to practice several times before giving your actual speech. However, you do not have to memorize the text verbatim, as you may be unable to act if you forget something, and you may also risk appearing unnatural and less friendly.

Most people make the mistake of reading from slides or memorizing the text verbatim without understanding the content, which is a stressful way. To avoid this, author Bob Proctor says: “No more reading or memorizing will make you successful in life."

Understanding the steps and content of your speech makes it easier for you to formulate ideas and concepts in your own words, which you can then explain clearly to others, designing your slides to include text input is easy to ensure your information is quickly remembered when you forget it.

One way to understand is to memorize overarching concepts or ideas in your presentation, as it helps you to speak more naturally and shine, almost like taking your audience on a trip where you visit some major landmarks.

5. Regular exercise

Most of us don't have an innate skill for public speaking. People rarely speak in front of a large audience and give flawless presentations without research or preparation. In fact, some top presenters make it look easy during showtime because they spend many hours behind the scenes in practice.

Even great speakers, such as the late John F. Kennedy, spent months preparing their speeches. Public speaking, like any other skill, requires practice, whether it is by practicing the speech several times in front of a mirror or taking notes. It is said, “Practice leads to mastery.”

6. Credibility

It's okay to feel nervous before going up to speak in public. Most people are afraid to speak in public because they are afraid of being judged by others if they show their weakness. However, this can help you appear more credible and relatable as a speaker.

Stop trying to act or talk like someone else, and you will find that it is worth the risk, and you will become more honest, flexible, and spontaneous. This makes it easier for you to deal with unexpected situations, whether you're receiving tough questions from the audience or facing unexpected technical difficulties.

It's easy to know your honest speaking style; all you have to do is pick a topic or issue you are passionate about and discuss it as you normally would with a family or a close friend. You will find it easy to connect with one person at a time.

However, it may take some time and some experience to feel comfortable enough to be yourself in front of others, depending on how comfortable you feel when you are in front of others, and when you are credible, stage fright isn't as scary as you first thought. Former US President Barack Obama is a perfect example of a passionate speaker.

7. Evaluate your speech

If you give an audience speech and it is an unsuccessful experience that affects you psychologically, try to take it as a lesson you learned to improve yourself as a speaker:

7.1. Don't Blame yourself after the show

We're hard on ourselves, and it's fine to do that, but when we're done giving a speech or a presentation, we should give ourselves some credit and praise. You've been able to finish everything you had to do, and you haven't given up. Also, you haven't let your fears and lack of self-confidence control you,

so take pride in your work and believe in yourself.

7.2. Improve your upcoming speeches

As mentioned above, practice leads to mastery. If you want to improve your public speaking skills, try asking someone to photograph you during a speech or presentation, and then watch and notice what you can do to improve yourself next time. Here are some questions you can ask yourself after each speech:

• How was my performance?
• Are there areas for improvement?
• Did I seem nervous?
• Did I falter in my words? And why did that happen?
• Did I say “umm” a lot?
• How was the flow of the speech?

Write down everything you noticed and keep practicing and improving, and over time, you'll be better able to manage your public speaking fears and appear more confident when it matters to you.