Learn It 7.3.3 Interacting with the Audience

Overcoming Fears and Anxiety

When thinking about the fear associated with public speaking, physicist and chemist Marie Curie’s observation, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less” offers a way to refocus fear.

If you think about it, the fear of public speaking is simply a recognition of a learning gap, be it a lack of confidence in our knowledge of the material or an inability to effectively communicate our expertise. We don’t look at a bicycle and fear learning how to ride it (maybe getting hurt, but not the process of learning a new skill), so why should we fear developing skills that can improve our careers, our lives, and, perhaps, our world? In an article titled “Fear of Public Speaking: How Can I Overcome It?,” Dr. Craig N. Sawchuk provides ten tips for managing performance anxiety or stage fright, which are adapted below:

  • Know your topic. Having a strong interest in and understanding of your material, including preparing responses to possible questions, will help you stay on point and keep your composure.
  • Get organized. The more organized you are—regarding information, materials, and logistics—the less nervous you’ll be.
  • Practice, rinse, and repeat. If possible, practice your speech and request feedback from friends, family, and colleagues. You can also record and critique your own performance.
  • Challenge worries. Reality check your negative projections. List and then directly challenge specific worries, considering the evidence and alternative outcomes.
  • Visualize your success. Imagining a successful speech creates a more positive frame of mind that can reduce anxiety.
  • Do some deep breathing. To calm yourself, take a few deep, slow breaths before you get up to speak, and remember to breathe during your speech.
  • Focus on your material. People tend to focus on new information, so focus on your message rather than the messenger (you and your nerves) or the audience.
  • Don’t fear a moment of silence. If you draw a blank or get off-topic, take a few seconds and a few deep breaths to regroup.
  • Recognize your success. Congratulate yourself on a completed speech. Reflect on your performance and identify what worked well and areas for improvement.
  • Get support. Join a public speaking group that can help you develop your skills in a supportive setting.

In an article for Forbes, author Carmine Gallo cites the results of a survey of American professionals indicating that 70 percent of those who give presentations agree that presentation skills are critical to their career success. Further, 20 percent of respondents indicated they would do almost anything to avoid giving a presentation, even if it meant losing respect. Given that, developing effective speaking skills is something that can give you a competitive advantage over your peers.

You can join a local Toastmasters group, a campus speech and debate team, a speakers bureau, or seek out opportunities to speak in front of others. Also, seeking to understand the sources of your fears related to public speaking will help you harness your public speaking potential.

Effective Speaking Strategies

Using Emotion

Although emotion doesn’t factor into the definition of persuasion, it is an essential ingredient. Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle identified the three elements of persuasion as ethos (credibility), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion). When Gallo analyzed human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s “We Need to Talk About Injustice” talk, voted one of the most “persuasive” on TED.com, the results were surprising to many: 65% pathos, 25% logos, and 10% ethos. Emotion often drives decision-making and opinion formation.

You can view the transcript for “We need to talk about an injustice” here (opens in new window).

Believe in Your Message

To quote law enforcement veteran Morgan Wright, “If you don’t believe what you’re saying, your movements will be awkward and not natural.” You must trust in what you are sharing with your audience or it will come across as insincere.

Keep Your Speech Brief

Keep your speech succinct, about 20 minutes or less. The science behind this ideal speech length is that too much information creates a “cognitive backlog” and state of anxiety in your audience which prevents the transfer of ideas. A shorter speech forces you to clarify your ideas and helps you communicate more effectively. Brevity is also key to this era of sharing online. If your speech is recorded and available on the internet, a shorter speech is easier to publish and access and shorter videos tend to be more popular.

Make it Memorable

Invest time in distilling your big idea into a short statement that’s captivating and shareable. A short, memorable summary statement makes it easy for your audience to remember both you and the point of your speech.

I Can, I Will, I Must

Motivational speaker Eric Thomas distills his message down to six words.

You can view the transcript for “Dick’s Sporting Goods & Dr. Eric Thomas: I Can, I Will, I Must” here (opens in new window).

Additional Resources