Five
tips for
overcoming
public
speaking
nerves
Your
mouth is
dry,
heart
palpitating,
and
knees
knocking.
You go
into
panic,
facing a
dreaded
public
speaking
assignment.
It
doesn’t
have to
be so.
These
five
tips
will
give you
some
strategies
to
overcome
those
symptoms
and have
the
butterflies
flying
in
formation.
1. Deep
breathing
will
pull in
oxygen.
Adrenalin,
secreted
to help
you deal
with the
fear
brought
on by
little
doubts,
causes
breaths
to
become
shallow,
or
causes
you to
hold
your
breath.
Deep
breathing
will
help
your
brain
work to
capacity,
and
forcing
the
slower
pace
will
quell
the
panic.
2.
Bluff.
Stand
tall,
with
shoulders
back and
chest
out.
Smile.
Even
though
you
don’t
feel
happy or
confident,
do it
anyway.
You will
look
confident
and your
body
will
fool
your
brain
into
thinking
it is
confident.
This
really
works!! Bluff –
body and
smile.
3. Keep
you
mouth
and
throat
hydrated.
Plan to
keep a
drink on
hand
while
you are
speaking.,
though
this
sounds
impossible.
Visualising
how you
will use
it if
you need
it, and
calling
up the
audacity
to do
such a
thing
will
carry
across
to your
attitude
as you
take
your
place to
speak,
placing
your
glass
just
where
you need
it to
be.
4.
Adrenalin
sends
the
blood
rushing
to the
fight/flight
centres
of your
brain at
the base
of the
skull.
Place
your
hand on
your
forehead
and
press
gently
on the
bony
points.
This
will
bring
the
blood to
the
parts of
the
brain
that
need it
to
present
your
speech
best.
5. Know you
are
prepared.
Obviously
this
depends
on
actually
being
prepared,
so take
every
opportunity
in the
days
leading
up to
the
speech
to
prepare
your
material.
Be
familiar
with the
structure
of the
presentation,
and the
ideas to
use.
Memorise
the most
important
parts,
and the
parts
you are
frightened
of
forgetting.
I would
memorise
the
opening
of the
speech
and in
the
moments
before
presenting
it,
would
reassure
myself
that I
knew
that
part,
and that
would
lead on
to the
rest.
It
worked!!
©Bronwyn Ritchie
If you want to include this article in your publication, please do,
but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, writer, award-winning
speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech
contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking
coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and
training in public speaking. Get her 30 speaking tips
FREE and boost your public speaking mastery over 30 weeks. Join now or go to
http://www.30speakingtips.com
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