Public Speaking Nervous Tips

There is a very simple explanation as to why we get nervous and that is simply because of the unknown.

We do not know what to expect from the situation or encounter.

We all want to be accepted and when you stand up to give a performance such as public speaking we want it to be well received. However, not knowing how it will go and whether the audience will like us or what we have to say is a terrifying thought. Also, what if we mess up our lines? What if the funny one liner is only funny to me and no one else in the room?

Not knowing how we will be thought of and how our performance and speech will go or what people will think of us because of it leads to this horrible feeling of nervousness.

It is important to remember however, that EVERYONE gets nervous.

Yes, even stage actors who perform every night. If you ever see an interview with an actor talking about nerves they often say that they would not want to be without that feeling. It's a feeling that lets them know that they are alive and in any event it soon goes soon after beginning a performance.

The rest of the information within this Lens will also help you to be at one with your nerves and for them not to be so overpowering as to stop you from doing your public speaking.

Remember these simple tips and they will help to overcome your nerves when public speaking but also in other situations too
1) It is OK to be nervous. Being nervous is perfectly natural and is to be expected when you put your body in an unusual situation. It's the bodies 'fight or flight' response that is the body's natural defence mechanism.

However, the level of nervousness CAN be reduced and so too can the length of time that you feel nervous for. For example, you can reduce levels of nervousness so that you only feel that way just before starting your public speaking.

2) The audience only sees what you let them see.
This is an extremely powerful technique but very simple. Act confidently and the audience will think that you are confident. In other words if you stand up with the thought that you will 'pretend' that you are confident your audience will have the impression that you are confident and that you are not suffering with your nerves. That in itself is great but this technique has a second knock on effect that is just at GREAT . If you pretend to be confident and your audience believes that you are confident then the secondary benefit of this is that you in turn WILL BECOME more confident.

I admit that this technique can take a little guts to pull off at first but give it a go. Whenever you are in a new situation, like public speaking, take a deep breath and tell yourself that you are confident and that you are not nervous. Act confidently and be confident. Your audience will think you are confident and you will in turn lose your nervousness.

3) Relax Your Body.
This is something that you can do before you have to stand up and is another effective technique to help with nerves. Take a deep breath and make a tight fist with each of your hands. Then breath out as your relax your muscles. Do this two or three times and it will help with your feeling of nerves.

4) Visualisation
Imagine yourself at a time that you performed at your best. Perhaps you had done some public speaking in the past which went well. Maybe, you want to visualise a time when you were with friends and you'd said something funny that everyone enjoyed. Whatever, this situation was close your eyes and picture it vividly. Essentially, you want to imagine yourself in this situation where you were feeling good about yourself, feeling confident and happy. Now, in your mind 'step in to' that image of yourself. Let those good feelings run through your body and think about how great it feels to be that confident. The more details you can imagine and 'see' in your mind the greater this technique will be. Now what you want to do is a technique called 'anchoring'. You will anchor those feelings of warmth and confidence to a specific act like pressing your thumb and third finger together. Do this squeezing motion a few times whilst thinking about your confident self. The effect of this is that whenever you feel nervous you can simply squeeze your thumb and third finger together and this will bring back the great feelings you had previously experienced.

By the way if you think that you can't imagine a time in the past that you were feeling particularly confident then think about someone that you aspire to be like. Perhaps, this is a family member, a friend or some character in on TV. Imagine them at their best and then step into their shoes to take on the feelings of confidence that they feel. Let these feelings wash over you as you do the anchoring technique.

Be Yourself!

This is one of the easiest things for someone else to say, one of the hardest points to take on board but one of the most effective remedies of nervousness.

To stand up and be yourself, to not have the fear of worrying about how you look, how your voice sounds or whether your jokes are or aren't funny is extremely powerful.

Remember that to be an effective speaker and to be a speaker that people enjoy listening to and want to listen to again and again is one who is natural. You do not want to have a voice that drones on in a monotone. To get up on your feet and speak naturally without the fear of what others think of you will make you one of the best speakers in the room.

Also, bear in mind that you cannot and will not be liked by everyone. Some people will not like your sense of humour, others will not like your tone of voice or accent. It is human nature and you just have to accept this. The quicker you accept it and move on the quicker you will conquer your nerves and your public speaking will come on in leaps and bounds.