How to get over public speaking nerves?

Question

I get really nervous when having to speak in front of other people, such as my classes, or when I'm being interviewed.

Can anyone give me any tips on how to get over this?

Answer 1

i know this exact feeling! i am a law student at university, training to become an advocate and trust me i know what its like to get up in front of a mass crowd and have to deliver a speech, and to be honest with you, in my opinion trying to remember your speech word by word or practicing it lots of times does not help, it makes it worse, its a good idea obviously to know what your talking about but if you practice it in a certain way or word for word then on the actual day of the presentation you will become ten times as nervous because your trying to focus on how you did it before, instead of focusing on the actual presentation, read through a few basic notes and have them with you on the day ... keep your writing clear and large so you can just glance at it without struggling to read the d**n thing, make eye contact, not with every single person in the room, but just a few people to acknowledge your confidence (even if your scared to death) ... try to talk in a calm and clear way use your hands to talk aswell it shows your motivated, if you have your arms folded or at your side you will look more nervous. and if like me your throat gets really cloggy when you speak in public or you struggle to speack louder, then dont be afraid to pause in your speech to cough to clear your thoat or to pause for a glass of water, or even tea or coffee, depending on what you have with you, you can even turn that into a little joke ' *cough* then take a little drink of water and then openly say 'sorry about that' with a smile and people are bound to react to the humour of the situation, anything to distract there attention to your nerves. and of course remember that your class mates are just as scared as you are about the prospect of speeking next ...... and as for an interview, if your a man and another man is interviewing you walk in stand infront of him and as you shake hands hold his hand in yours with a firm manly grip, smile and ask how hes doing, a little banter or small talk never hurt anyone, and if your being interviewed be a women, or vice versa take her hand, and shake it with very little grip, of course also ask how she is and smile, it shows confidence. another thing to note is in a interview it will only be you and one or two other people so you can relax, no one else will be there its just you and the interviewer in a empty room with no one judging ..... hope this helps someone going through that horrible situation of public speaking !

Answer 2

lol - there are many reasons why people are poor public speakers, and fear is a good reason. One has to understand fear in order to manage or suppress it. However, you also have to practice what you preach (literally). The more understanding you have, and rehearsed you, are of a subject, the easier it tends to be to relate that to others (often helping relieve some of the pressure we feel when speaking). In addition, the cycle of fear we face when doing something emotionally uncomfortable can often be interrupted by breathing techniques, self-talk, and medication :-) Also, I find that when speaking in front of people you know well is often easier than in front of a group you've never met . . . so that's something to think about . . . why do we fear people we don't know. Trust issues? Like I said, there are so many reasons to look at. Find what you identify with, get familiar with it, and nip it in the bud with practice and acceptance :-)