Give a Speech Without Getting Nervous

Do you dread giving a speech, or have an extreme fear of public speaking? It is possible to lessen your nervousness with some advance preparation. Start off by speaking to groups of people as often as you can. Practice your speech with your friends and family. Try to connect with your audience and don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes. Working off your extra energy before a speech will help you to focus as well.

Steps

Reducing Stress Beforehand

1. Practice in front of small groups of supportive friends. Gather a group of people together who you trust to give you solid, constructive feedback. Be sure to invite in people you know who have a background in public speaking. Give your speech in front of them and then leave time afterwards for questions and comments. Repeat this process with new groups of people and then compare the comments that you’ve received. Make any necessary adjustments and continue practicing.
   • Think about people you know who have to give speeches or presentations on a regular basis. Ask them for their input and advice as you prepare.
   • Practicing in this way will also help you to become desensitized when speaking in front of groups of people. Do it often enough and it will become habit and nothing to worry about.
   • You can also join a local group, such as Toastmasters, to work on your skills. Or, you can even take a public speaking course at a local college or recreation center.
2. Spend more time practicing your intro. For every time that you practice your speech, run through your introductory section just one more time. Really concentrate on getting comfortable with the first 30-60 seconds of your talk. Go over the intro in your mind each night before bed. This will make it less likely that you’ll stumble over it during the final talk.
   • Expect that your anxiety level will drop significantly after you’ve completed your introductory remarks and this will help you to relax for the rest of your talk.
3. Film your practice sessions. Get a small camera and go find a room that is similar to the one that you’ll be speaking in. Set up your camera and record yourself giving your full speech. Try to recreate the final scenario as closely as possible, minus the audience. It even helps if you dress the part. Then, go back home and review the tape to see where you can improve.
   • For example, you may find that you speak way too fast at the start of your speech. This is fixable by simply concentrating on slowing down early on.
4. Check out the space in advance. Try to gain access to the space that you will be using for your speech. Being familiar with the room will make you more comfortable for your final talk. Walk around the room and take a seat to get an audience member’s perspective. Go to the front and check out whether you’ll have a podium to use and if any of the set-up needs to be adjusted for height or movement.
   • It is especially important that you check out the technology, such as the computer and projection screens, to make sure that they are functioning properly and compatible with any equipment that you’ll bring along.
   • If you cannot look at the space well beforehand, try to arrive a little early for your speech and check everything out at that time.
5. Talk with a therapist. If you find that you are crippled by your nerves in front of audiences, you might want to make an appointment to meet with a therapist. You can work together to decide if you are suffering from social anxiety disorder (SAD), which may require both therapy and a medicated approach. A therapist might also put you in touch with a support group.
   • If social anxiety is not an issue, a therapist can also help you overcome a phobia of public speaking. A therapist or speech pathologist may also be able to work on treating public-speaking-induced speech disorders, if you suspect you suffer from such a problem.

Being Mentally Calm and Confident

1. Be knowledgeable about your topic. Learn as much as you can about your topic, whether by reading additional books or talking with experts. The more that you know about your topic, the less likely you are to stumble talking about it. If you do stumble, you will be better equipped to improvise or fill in content until you find your place again. You’ll also be more prepared to answer questions, if needed.
   • Just be careful that you don’t get overconfident and stray too far off of your prepared script. This can have the effect of making you seem even more nervous and frazzled.
2. Be passionate about your topic. If you care about your topic, then your audience will recognize this and be more likely to listen to you. If you get a choice of topic, choose one that will hold your interest and that you think is important. If you feel your nerves increasing, then think about how significant your message is, regardless of whether or not you make a few mistakes.
3. Visualize giving a great speech. When you practice and immediately before you take the stage, think about how your ideal presentation would go. Visualize giving your speech and blowing your audience away. You might even say, “You can do this!” Or, “I can’t wait to tell everyone about this!”
   • Some people even find that repeating, “Yes!,” over and over again works wonders to decrease nerves.
   • Take a deep breath and then think of your favorite speaker. Perhaps envision Abraham Lincoln giving a battlefield speech. Be inspired by their poise and try to emulate this as you take the stage.
   • Remember, though, not every speech will go exactly as visualized, and that is alright. The purpose of this exercise is to help bolster confidence. You cannot and should not expect to predict an audience's response.
4. Establish rapport with your audience. Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to attend your presentation. Before you start speaking, look to see where these friendly faces are sitting. You can also arrive a bit early to your talk and get to know the audience a bit. Then, you can even reference these persons by name during your presentation.
   • If you find yourself freezing up, locate a friendly face and then focus your stare right above them. Hold this position as you continue to talk. Move on whenever you feel your nerves lessening.
5. Keep going if you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, but not every mistake is noticeable to others. If you stumble over a word, correct yourself quickly and keep going. If you leave out a part of your presentation, make a quick decision whether to circle back or continue. Try not to draw attention to your own errors.
   • If you make an error, don't apologize. No one but you knows your speech! Just keep going, and save apologies for off-stage
   • Remind yourself that no one is expecting you to give a flawless speech. In fact, audiences often find small stumbles and other signs of being human relatable and even endearing. Try not to panic if you stumble. Instead, just focus on your recovery.
6. Focus on a spot behind the audience. As you take the stage, find a focal point just above the heads of the last audience row. Continue to look at that point until you feel yourself relaxing. Then, slowly let your gaze slide across the room until you locate another brief focal point.

Projecting Physical Calm and Confidence

1. Work off some energy before your speech. If you try to contain all of your body’s nervous energy, then you may find yourself jittering on the stage. Instead, take a quick walk before your presentation. Or, do a few toe flexes or even jumping jacks. Release that excess energy and your body will calm down.
2. Keep your breathing even and controlled. Make sure that you are taking deep breaths both before, and during, your speech. You might even think, “in” and “out” and you inhale and exhale. If you find yourself holding your breath, then let it out slowly and continue speaking. Use pauses in your presentation as an opportunity to reset your breathing.
   • You may also want to do a quick body scan. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply, and focus on any areas where you feel yourself tensing your muscles. Take a deep breath in, and try to soften the tension as you exhale.
3. Dress to fit the occasion. Talk with the organizer for your speech or the teacher for your class and discuss the dress code with them. As you’ll be a center of attention, you want to dress the same, or even nicer, than your audience. You can also consider your clothing as your armor and try to visualize feeling stronger when you put on your speech outfit.
   • Try your outfit on before you give your speech to make sure everything fits well and that you feel comfortable. This helps prevent awkward adjusting during your speech.
4. Maintain confident body language. Keep your back straight and stand up as tall as you can. Pull your shoulders back and avoid hunching over. Dip your chin to check your notes, if needed, but then keep your head raised up.
   • Watch out for jittery behaviors, such as tapping your fingers or twirling a pen. Practicing a good deal will help you to spot these actions and work on eliminating them prior to your final speech.

Video

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Tips

• Remember that your audience wants to hear you and are interested in what you have to say. They want you to do well.
• Drink a cup of water about 15-30 minutes before you take the stage. This will keep you hydrated and prevent you from getting dry mouth, a common sign of nervousness.

Warnings

• Make sure to talk slowly if you are nervous. Don’t rush your words.

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Sources and Citations

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