FEAR!
I have seen people literally sweating, getting flushed, pacing, trembling and even speechless, right before giving a speech or presentation. The fear of speaking in public is #2 after the fear of death. That says a lot about the trepidation of standing in front of your peers or strangers and delivering discourse.
There are various ways to quell your fears but the best way is to face it head on. However, let’s examine why you might fear speaking, according to the book there is:
- inadequacy or not feeling confident about your expertise in the subject matter
- the unknown – not knowing how the audience will relate or accept what you have to say
- Judgment: what will they think of me or my speech?
Whatever the fear you have prior to giving a speech, I find the only way to conquer this fear is to practice and make speeches over and over! It’s much like the first time you tried to ride a bike. You feared falling down, not being able to break in time or just running into things! After you rode your bike for a while, every day in the summer, you were a pro, riding hands-free, kicking your feet out to the side and barreling down those steep hills! Okay, so that last example was kind of silly and falling in the ice plant wasn’t pleasant but you weren’t afraid of that bike any more!
Even after giving so many presentations I still have a bit of trepidation before each presentation. However, once I get started I fall into a comfortable groove. After much practice and organization, you will find your groove as well.
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