A Preview of Techniques

The first step in learning how to deal with public speaking anxiety is recognizing the problem. The fact that you are reading this suggests that you are already aware of it. Still, you may perceive it as a huge issue or just as a minor discomfort you experience before, while or after speaking in front of an audience.

Regardless of the intensity of your experience, there are certain approaches you can take, to alleviate your anxiety.

Make the Decision

Now that you have acknowledged your anxiety, the next crucial step is to make a decision about dealing with it. A decision like that is not easy to maintain because you may become distracted. For example, perhaps you know that you won’t have another public performance for months, so you may not feel too motivated to act on your anxiety right now.

However, you should know that facing the fear of public speaking requires time and commitment. Besides, you may have to make the decision several times - each time you feel discouraged or lose your focus. Don’t worry that is a normal part of the process.

Tips and Tricks

Below you will find an overview of comprehensive strategies for successfully overcoming your fear of public speaking, regardless of its intensity and form. You can choose the strategies you believe are best suited to you, or you can try them all, just to make sure that you understand what is most effective in your specific circumstances. It is highly recommended that you cover all four aspects of coping with anxiety - thoughts, emotions, behavior, and body.

Strategies Focused on Thoughts

These strategies are based on the conscious and subconscious processes that influence your overall state before, during and after public speaking. Keeping in mind that most of these processes are subconscious, and therefore create thoughts we do not realize we are having, we will help you identify them. To be more specific, those thoughts are called irrational beliefs. They represent distortions our minds created, over the course of time.

To cope with anxiety, what you need to do is recognize them and replace them with rational, reality-based, and helpful alternatives. We’ll also use your imagination to prepare you for your future public speeches. The imagination is a powerful tool for preparation, but this time, it will work for you, rather than against you.

Strategies Focused on Emotions

Emotions are strong motivators for behavior, as well as the main reason we avoid certain situations. No one likes to feel fear or distress, but the negativity your experience, regarding public speaking, can be relieved with the use of techniques, for getting in touch with your inner world of emotions. You will learn about the power of mindfulness - an omnipotent tool for recognizing your emotions.

Although it may seem surprising, or even shocking, the majority of people struggle to recognize and name their emotions, yet their behavior is very much dictated by those emotions. The way we perceive and talk to ourselves is relevant and helpful in dealing with fear. It is also crucial to understand how certain events, thoughts, and emotions are mutually connected and how they affect your behavior.

Strategies Focused on Behavior

What we do comes as the consequence of how we think and feel. Knowing that, there are certain techniques you can use, to behave in a way that supports your goals and priorities, while practicing and exposing yourself to public speaking.

Changing your cognitive and emotional patterns isn’t enough to achieve a genuine change. That is why it is vital to learn what you can do and how to successfully self-monitor, in a constructive and helping manner.

Strategies Focused on the Body

If you become anxious when having to speak in public, you are probably too familiar with the sensation of your body working against you, when you feel nervous. Although, physical symptoms are merely a manifestation of your inner world and cannot be changed, without first changing your perceptions, there are still relaxation techniques that are helpful in dealing with a physical aspect of fear and anxiety.

You can learn and practice them whenever you need to, and build yourself a space of calm where you can go to when overwhelmed by anxiety.

Your Effort Counts

All of the strategies you are about to learn involve exposure and facing the fear. You can prepare while you are alone and in the safety of your home, but to achieve any long-lasting, qualitative change, you will have to speak in front of people. Regardless of what we might want, effectively coping with anxiety doesn’t happen overnight and is not a simple process that someone else can do for us.

However, there is no room for concern, since we are here to help you accomplish what is needed.

Welcome to the journey that will lead you to become a new, improved version of yourself!