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Newbie Joined: Oct 14, 2009 Posts: 5

Know the room - become familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early and walk around the room including the speaking area. Stand at the lectern, speak into the microphone. Walk around where the audience will be seated. Walk from where you will be seated to the place where you will be speaking.

Know the Audience - If possible, greet some of the audience as they arrive and chat with them. It is easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

Know Your Material - If you are not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech or presentation and revise it until you can present it with ease.

Learn How to Relax - You can ease tension by doing exercises. Sit comfortable with your back straight. Breathe in slowly, hold your breath for 4 to 5 seconds, then slowly exhale. To relax your facial muscles, open your mouth and eyes wide, then close them tightly.

Visualize Yourself Speaking - Imagine yourself walking confidently to the lectern as the audience applauds. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

Realize People Want You To Succeed - All audiences want speakers to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They want you to succeed - not fail.

Don't apologize For Being Nervous - Most of the time your nervousness does not show at all. If you don't say anything about it, nobody will notice. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you'll only be calling attention to it. Had you remained silent, your listeners may not have noticed at all.

Concentrate on Your Message - not the medium - Your nervous feelings will dissipate if you focus your attention away from your anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience, not yourself.

Turn Nervousness into Positive Energy - the same nervous energy that causes stage fright can be an asset to you. Harness it, and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.

Gain Experience - Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. Most beginning speakers find their anxieties decrease after each speech they give.

If the fear of public speaking causes you to prepare more, then the fear of speaking serves as it's own best antidote.

Remember, "He who fails to prepare is preparing for failure - so Prepare, Prepare, Prepare"

For more specific techniques on handling nervousness, order our booklet, "Techniques to Handle Nervousness" or our 60 minute audiotape, "Overcoming Speaking Anxiety" from one of Lenny's "live" seminars. This guide will provide you with both physical and mental techniques you can use immediately to help you reduce your anxiety. You can order either one of these products through our convenient on-line catalog .

Senior Joined: Nov 03, 2007 Posts: 30

I also have a article about it Wink

How to Reduce Speech Anxiety
Speech anxiety, or public performance anxiety, is very common. In this article you will be given common sense ideas as well as a few exercises to help calm the nerves and reduce the worry so that each additional speech you present will be an even easier and more comfortable experience.

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1

The old adage is true: prepare, prepare, prepare.
Write out what you want to say.
It is easier to do it in summary or bullet form. Writing each word down will make it harder to talk to your audience. Allowing yourself room to speak normally, rather than in a stilted reading manner, may feel more nerve wracking but will actually give you space to breathe and to think.
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Step 2

Practice, practice, practice.
Practice by yourself. Ask a friend to listen, picking someone you can trust to give you honest feedback and in a positive way. It was somewhat long in the middle. 'Is there a better way you can say it?' is helpful. 'It stinks' is not.
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Step 3

Visualize your audience. In their underwear is really not the best way to help yourself. Instead imagine what they might look like. Visualize them with listening expressions. Feel their interest.
They want to be there. Even if they are required to attend due to say work, people always are ready to learn. The dryest of reports will have something new to say to someone. Imagine their surprise when they hear that one thing they did not expect.
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Step 4

Know that you were asked to speak because you have the knowledge they need to have presented. You are the expert in the meeting or group. You are asked to talk because you have the information they need.
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Step 5

As you imagine your audience take a reading of your mood. Are you feeling anxious just thinking about presenting?
That is the perfect time to do a breathing exercise.
Feel the nervousness and anxiety.
Then take in a slow long breath, to the **** of 5 or 6. Then exhale to the same number and time. Repeat until you feel the stress flow out of your body replaced by a feeling of calm.
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Step 6

Another breathing exercise is to take in a long slow breath through your nose. Feel the coolness of the air, savor it as yu breath it in.
Feel it as you exhale. Notice how it has changed. It is now nice and warm.
Repeat at least 5 times, or until you feel calm and relaxed.
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Step 7

If you have had a bad experience before with giving a speech or talk remind yourself that because that happened once it does not mean that you are and always will be a bad speech giver.
Tell yourself you have other done other things in life that may not have worked out well before but when you did them again they had a good outcome.
The same is true in this instance.
(And it is not just an issue of telling yourself - it is true - for everyone- one bad experience does not wipe out all the good outcomes, it just seems easier to remember the bad.

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