Speaking to an audience is a whole art. Many of us experience panic in the scene, which is scientifically called glossophobia. According to statistics, such a phobia is located in second place in popularity after the fear of death. The reasons for this may be self-doubt or psychological childhood injuries. But getting rid of glossophobia is quite realistic, and how to overcome the fear of public speaking is discussed in the article.
Manifestation
In psychology, the pathological fear of a scene is called peyraphobia or glossophobia. It is worth emphasizing: in a public speech, natural excitement may occur, which to some extent has a positive effect on the person. Psychologists believe that in anticipation of a responsible event, the speaker becomes more collected, attentive, energetic. In addition, there is an opinion that a performance in which a person does not experience any emotional feelings at all often turns out to be a failure. People with glossophobia always have an indomitable and inexplicable fear on stage, even before a well-known audience.
Causes
Fear of public speaking is a common occurrence that occurs due to certain reasons. As a rule, the fear of the scene may appear due to negative previous experience. This psychological trauma can be worked out with the help of analysis. To do this, you need to remember your unsuccessful performance and identify what caused the failure. Another possible reason may be a lack of experience. Undoubtedly, it is difficult for every newcomer to start any business, as this is outside the boundaries of his comfort zone. The speaker’s fear of the public at his debut speech is understandable.
Speaking about how to overcome the fear of public speaking, it is worth noting that the experience is important here, which can be gained only through constant work on yourself and multiple exit onto the stage. Only if you challenge yourself, expand the boundaries of your comfort zone, you can overcome fear, which in the future will help to get only a light and pleasant excitement, as well as an emotional lift.
In addition to the above, there are also such reasons as:
- looping on yourself and your fear;
- poor knowledge of the material or poor preparation;
- personal qualities: suspiciousness, shyness, timidity, self-doubt and much more.
Methods
There are quite a few ways that will tell you how to overcome the fear of public speaking. Practice says that with the right approach, you can quickly reach heights and get rid of unreasonable anxieties. But before proceeding to their consideration, it is worth working with your inner “I” and changing the attitude towards this fear. It is not necessary to perceive the fear of the scene as an obstacle, but on the contrary, excitement can be an excellent assistant for a successful performance.
Such feelings at the psychophysiological level can cause the human body to work at full capacity. Thanks to light excitement, an individual begins to speak faster, it is better to analyze information, select the correct and exact words. Thus, if you allow the excitement to help yourself in your speech, the work will become more productive, and the process itself will bring positive emotions.
Awareness of the source of fear
Undoubtedly, the unknown is always alarming, and the source of fear on the stage before the audience is the ignorance of what could happen there. As a rule, on the way to a good performance (presentation, seminar, speech) there is a fear of condemnation, as well as a fear that a person may make a mistake, do not calculate something and experience emotional or physical pain. Before this, you need to realize that the public does not wish you harm. If a speaker comes to the audience with reliable and interesting information, presents the material quite clearly, then he is already halfway to success.
In addition, write down your fears and look them in the face. With absorbing anxiety during a speech, try to remind yourself that any fear of something clings to a nonexistent one that only seems to be real. As a rule, the largest part of our fears is not realized in the real world, but remains only an internal fiction that impedes the development of personal growth. Therefore, it is important to know that such an emotion can be defeated with the help of the mind.
Deep breath
By practicing breathing exercises, you can overcome the fear of public speaking, as they help to relax not only the body, but also the mind. One of the effective exercises is as follows: a few minutes before the performance it is necessary to stand upright and calmly, to feel firm ground under your feet. Then it is important to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Slow it down so that it is possible to count six seconds on inhalation and as much on exhalation. In this way, you can achieve a confident and relaxed state.
Relaxation
To master all the subtleties of how to overcome the fear of public speaking, you need to learn how to relax, even in a stressful situation. Relaxation is closely related to the art of imagination, which together helps to relieve nervous tension in the muscles of the body. If you close your eyes and give free rein to your imagination, you can imagine that you are floating somewhere high in the clouds, or you are ice cream that spreads when you see the sun. Activating your imagination helps you escape from your fear and gives a feeling of relaxation and lightness.
Wall punching technique
This technique was used by Yul Brynner - the man who conquered Hollywood. He is the star of the musical The King and Me, an outstanding actor who knows how to overcome fear of public speaking. His secret is simple: for this you need to stand facing the wall at a distance of about fifty centimeters, rest against it with both hands. Then you need to push the wall - this is an important point in the exercise, which helps to reduce the abdominal muscles. After this, on exhaling, you need to push out the air with noise and strain the press, as if you are floating in a boat against the tide. After several repetitions, such an exercise helps to relax before the performance.
An alternative to this can be standard physical activity: squats, running, push-ups, which helps to develop endorphins - hormones of happiness. Exercise will help to distract and eliminate nervousness. But you should not do this immediately before the speech, since the appearance of the speaker should be neat, and the speech should be clear and calm.
Visualization
Close your eyes and imagine the upcoming performance in detail: the views of the audience, your speech, the dialogue between you and the public. The more accurately you can imagine every moment, the better. The main thing is to lose in your head only successful and pleasant situations. Program yourself for success: imagine how skillfully you present material, joke and masterfully answer the most complex and unexpected questions.
Auto-suggestion
Do not neglect the inner strength, but how to overcome the fear of public speaking with the help of self-hypnosis - we will tell right now. Before going on stage, a number of standard phrases, such as: “I will succeed,” “I am calm,” “Everything will go perfectly,” will help to relieve anxiety. This is one of the most effective ways of self-regulation of emotional and mental states, which allows you to eliminate fear and successfully carry out any business.
Work with a mirror
Before exhaling to the stage, experts recommend conducting a training session in facial expressions and talking in front of a mirror. This method will help you to see yourself from the side, to identify both positive and negative sides that can be worked out. In addition to the fact that this training will provide an opportunity to make adjustments for the best result, it will also allow you to relax a bit.
Smile and wave
It is worth noting that watching the speaker from the audience is difficult for viewers to recognize his fear. Therefore, even if the speaker is shaking his knees, it is necessary to create a visible calm. This is not so difficult to do, just stand straight, straighten your shoulders, hold your head high and smile. Psychologists assure that if the speaker gives the impression of a self-confident person even when he does not feel himself at the moment, nevertheless this will help to deceive his brain and feel much better.
Training
One of the powerful “weapons” in overcoming the fear of public speaking is self-confidence, and it, in turn, is closely associated with knowledge of the material. Thus, with the free possession of information on a specific topic, the speaker feels much calmer. Therefore, it is important to carefully prepare yourself before the presentation: write down a detailed plan, break it down into main points and memorize them. In addition, come up with questions that can be asked by the public and give them a detailed written answer.
So, the article disassembled the main methods. Now it’s clear how to overcome the fear of public speaking. It remains only to train, improve personal skills, work on self-esteem, learn to interact with people, feel and understand them. Only painstaking work on their external and internal qualities can overcome any fear.