How to overcome the fear of public speaking
Don’t wait to be ready to do it Public speaking is not always easy, actually, I’m sure that even the most professional TED speakers still struggle with it because it’s completely normal. We all feel nervous when we’re about to speak in public, no matter who we are. Even me, I’m an actress and I still feel extremely nervous every time I have to speak in public or even act, which is literally my job, actually, I have a professor who used to tell us, “If you’re about to go on stage and you don’t feel those nerves, or that little spark before going out there… quit, this is not for you anymore”, which is true. Now, why do we get nervous? It turns out that our body is that smart that always wants to protect us from anything that could go wrong, so it turns on all those risk alarms inside of us because of all the bad things that could happen: What if I say something wrong? What if I fall? What if they make fun of me?… and a thousand other different scenarios of everything that could go wrong. That’s when our body turns on all its alarms: we start sweating, we feel like we need to go to the bathroom, our heart beats as if we were about to die, we completely forget everything we had planned and, basically, it feels like the end of the world… I KNOW… CALM DOWN!! This is where a key moment comes in, and this can make all the difference. It’s the moment to calm your mind, quiet it, and focus on the present… start breathing, calmly… literally inhale and exhale slowly, and do it three times. You’ll notice that your body starts to calm down. Your heart, even though it’s still beating fast, is not going to jump out of your chest, you’ll stop sweating, and if you simply take those nerves and use them in your favor, you can turn them into energy to show confidence in front of your audience. Now, once you’re standing in front of them, stop thinking about how you, your hair, or your shirt looks, and focus on your audience! The only reason you should be standing in front of people presenting is because you want to teach them something… so focus on teaching your audience that. Look them in the eyes, be dynamic, change your tone and your speaking speed… as if you were talking to your best friend about something! That makes you look confident and there’s where everything starts. Don’t expect to feel 100% confident before speaking in public, you’ll never feel that way, you’re never going to feel completely ready, but that’s where practice comes in, you can actually train with exercises to improve your communications skills. The more you practice, the more you’re present, and the more you know about that topic, the more you’ll learn how to control your nerves. Because the nerves will always be there. Just breathe, focus on your audience, walk to the front, and do it. That’s where it all starts. If you want to practice, keep building your confidence!