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7 ways to Banish your Fear of Public Speaking

May 19 2010

7 ways to Banish your Fear of Public Speaking

by Owen Fitzpatrick in Public Speaking

Here are 7 different ways of thinking to help you feel more confident in front of an audience.

1) You are the one at the front of the room. That means you are in control. You can tell them to do something and they will more than likely do it.

2) The audience wants you to succeed. They are rooting for you. Behind every stony face is an encouraging nod. They most probably share your fear so being up their naturally brings them on your side.

3) All you are there for is to present information to the audience. You don’t have to be amazingly entertaining unless it’s your profession. Instead, you have to deliver a message. Anything else you do is a bonus.

4) The only ones who will judge you are the ones who will judge you no matter how great you do. Everyone else will just accept you and that you are doing your best.

5) People think they are invisible in an audience so they usually don’t respond and have frowns and bored expressions because that is their natural default state. In reality, they could be really interested… they just haven’t informed their faces.

6) The eyes of an audience are the eyes of a bunch of humans, most of whom would probably be even more terrified to speak in public than you. They go to the bathroom and have all experienced embarrassing situations in their own lives.

7) Nerves are a good thing. All performers get nervous before performing. The adrenalin helps you use your mind and body in the best possible way and allows you to be ‘up’ for it. It’s excitement. Nervous excitement maybe but excitement none the less.

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Written by: Owen Fitzpatrick

Owen Fitzpatrick is an International Trainer and Practical Psychologist. He is co-author of 'Conversations with Richard Bandler' which has been translated into seven languages and author of Not Enough Hours, bestseller in the Irish Bookcharts. Owen is also co-founder of the Irish Institute of NLP, the largest NLP training company in Ireland. He is also a qualified Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist. Owen has featured as the presenter expert on his primetime television show 'Not Enough Hours' on Irish Television where each week he worked with someone to help them manage their time and lives more effectively. The series was extremely popular and had huge audience figures.

3 Responses to “7 ways to Banish your Fear of Public Speaking”

  1. DTH says:
    July 31, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Thanks Owen .. Some good suggestions here.
    On suggestion 7 .. how is it possible to handle situations where
    the excess adrenalin causes physical reactions that interfere with the task .. trembling hands, legs, pounding heart etc ?
    Are there any ‘natural’ solutions to this. ?

  2. owen says:
    June 9, 2010 at 9:34 pm

    I agree… good point. Also the oxygen helps with your breathing and that’s really useful when you first stand up there!!

  3. Josko Padovan says:
    June 9, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    Interesting article, Owen. I think it can also be a good idea to exert yourself physically, perhaps by taking a long run or pumping some iron at the gym, before your speech, as it dissipates nervous energy and lowers blood pressure.

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