Make your voice heard Learn how to beat public speaking nerves, and engage your audience Writing | Ros Knowles
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peaking in public is one of the most common fears people have, whether it’s presenting to a small group of people or contributing in a large meeting. Some people find enough confidence to get through it, but others may experience glossophobia – a fear of public speaking. This phobia results in a feeling of intense anxiety, and creates the fight, flight, or freeze response, meaning that all sensible thought disappears and our memory freezes, too. If we’re anxious, it’s difficult to think clearly, focus, and to remember – three things that are essential if we are to deliver a talk, or speech to any group of people.
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Illustrating | Rosan Magar
Luckily, there are things we can do to get ourselves into the ‘conscious mind’, the confident part of our brain, where we can relax and focus clearly on what we have to do. Here are some tips to help you speak up with confidence.
mind. Make sure you’re familiar with any technical equipment you may need to use – screen sharing apps, digital whiteboards, and presentation programmes, for example – and be there in good time to set up, so you can relax knowing all is ready.
PLAN Begin by planning what you want to say. Decide how long it needs to be, and what visual aids you might need. If you’re reporting on important statistics, would a graph be helpful? What information does your audience need? It’s a good idea to write your thoughts down, as this helps fix the information into your
PRACTISE Fear can stem from worrying about what others will think of us, that we might make a mistake, or we could forget what we wanted to say, and that it might not be good enough. Practise it in front of a few friends and family, so you get familiar with your speech or talking points, and you will grow in confidence as you