The Mental Part of Public Speaking

by Stephen Boyd | September 2, 2010

"How can I get over my nervousness in giving a speech? I'm afraid I'm going to pass out." I'm often
asked that question when someone finds out I am a presentation skills coach and trainer. I do have
tips for alleviating those feelings.
As Tim Gallwey said in The Inner Game of Tennis, "Every game is composed of two parts, an outer
game and an inner game."
I believe you must prepare mentally to lower the anxiety level. Think "successful speech" thoughts.
Kind of in the realm of "act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic," by thinking over and over how
successful your speech will be, you become more confident that it will indeed be successful with less
anxiety on your part.
As you prepare and are on your way to the room where you are to speak, repeat to yourself such
statements as "I am prepared for this speech" (if this is true, of course). "I have practiced my
speech aloud and know what I am going to say." "This is good material." "The audience will learn
from my speech."
Besides positive thoughts that relate to your speech, include a couple of thoughts about your
audience. "The audience wants me to do well," or "The audience will learn from my speech."
Don't allow the negative thoughts such as "I'm so scared, I'm going to pass out," to dominate your
thoughts. Push them out with "I'm going to have a winning presentation!"
One other encouraging thought about your nervousness. Even famous people regularly experience
what you experience. Elvis Presley said, "I've never gotten over what they call stage fright. I go
through it every show." There is comfort in knowing that even "The King" always had stage fright.
Overcome Your Fear of Presenting
by Speaking Tips | July 12, 2004
Research has shown that more than 40% of people say their top fear was speaking in front of other
people. According to one survey, fear of public speaking came before heights, death, illness and
other common phobias. The following list of top ten fears is taken from the Book of Lists:
1. Speaking Before a Group
2. Heights
3. Insects and Bugs
4. Financial Problems
5. Deep Water
6. Sickness
7. Death
8. Flying
9. Loneliness
10. Dogs
Self-Evaluation Exercise
As a speaker, how do you deal with the fear? One of the best ways is to use a self-evaluation
exercise to break down your fear into manageable components. It's simple to do and it really does
work! Here is an easy exercise you can do if you, like so many others, have a fear of speaking.
Tell yourself exactly what you are afraid of.
"I am afraid of speaking in front of a large group."
Explain to yourself why you are afraid.
"I am afraid because I think everyone will laugh at me."
"I am afraid something will go wrong."

Tell yourself why you shouldn't be afraid.
"I have never seen a speaker get laughed off the stage."
"No one has ever laughed at me during my previous presentations."
"If something does go wrong, I can fix it."
Close with positive thoughts about yourself.
"I am a smart and out-going person."
"I can give a solid presentation and impress my audience."
Understanding our fears is the first and most important step to conquering them.
How To Stay Cool In Public Speaking
by Joan Curtis | February 10, 2009
Does the thought of speaking in public make you tremble inside? Are you one of those people who
would rather die than speak before a group?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then fear not, you are not alone. The majority of
people would prefer to turn tail and run than to rise up and speak before others. Most of these
people will tell you they have no trouble speaking one-on-one, but when asked to stand and speak
before groups, they cringe with fear.
This article will put that universal fear of public speaking in the proper perspective and give you
some tips for turning the fear into positive energy.
The Paradox of Fear
Most people do not realize that fear is a good thing. In fact, if you are too relaxed you will not
perform as well on the podium. Seasoned speakers know this. It's a big secret we like to keep to
ourselves. If everyone knew that fear was a good thing, everyone would confidently walk up to the
podium, knowing that the fear would soon disappear. Others would not be so impressed with our
prowess on stage.
Let's look at what happens to effectiveness in relation to fear.
When you first walk on the stage, your fear factor is very high. This is called the red zone, when all
of us, even the very best speakers experience the greatest fear. In the red zone when our fear is
highest, we are most alert. Blood is really pumping through our veins. Our effectiveness as a
speaker rises. As the speech progresses, our effectiveness continues to go up, side-by-side with our
nervousness. After about 2-4 minutes into the presentation, we all hit what is called the comfort
zone. This is where you begin to sense some relaxation. What you hope as a speaker is that you
remain in your comfort zone through the remainder of your talk.
Very nervous speakers do not allow themselves to hit the comfort zone. They stay in the red zone
throughout the talk, causing their fear to take over. This phenomenon causes fear not to propel but
to paralyze.
If, on the other hand, you become even more relaxed past your comfort zone, guess what happens
to your effectiveness as a speaker? It goes down! In fact, the more relaxed you get after your
comfort zone the less effective you are on the stage. That little edge that brought you to the
podium is now gone. Have you ever seen a speaker whom you thought was so good in first few
minutes and then he/she began telling off-color stories or rambled on about something irrelevant to
the topic? These are people who surpassed their comfort levels.
Knowing this paradox about fear and effectiveness, we as speakers embrace our fear and use it to
propel us, rather than paralyze us. Fear then becomes the energy, the enthusiasm, the spark, our
friend.
Tips to Manage Your Fear:
Identify the fear. What are you afraid of? What specifically do you fear? Are you afraid of what the
other people will think of you? Are you afraid of losing your train of thought? Are you afraid you'll
fall off the stage? Write down everything you fear. Make the list as long as you need to.
Isolate Each Fear. Once you've identified your fears, list the things you can do to prevent that
dreaded event from happening. For example, if you are afraid you will lose your train of thought,
prepare clear, precise notes. If you fear what others will think of you, imagine what they are
thinking. How can you turn their thoughts from negative energy to positive energy?
Take Baby Steps. Instead of making your first speech to the local Rotary Club, ask a question in a
Sunday School class. When you feel comfortable asking questions in public, then teach a Sunday
School class or volunteer to give a little talk in your public schools. You might consider joining
Toastmasters International. This organization offers many opportunities for practice and feedback.
Practice, practice, practice. I wrote another paper on How to Write a Speech without Notes. In
that paper I outlined a practice model. Take a look at that model. If you practice your speech to the
point that you are absolutely sick of hearing it, you will be prepared for your speech.
Make the Unknown Known. One of our biggest fears of speaking is the unknown. We do not
know the audience. We do not know the location. We do not know what will happen when we open
our mouths. This list is endless. Of course you cannot make all the unknowns known, but the more
you make known the more control you will get on this fear. For example, how can you make the
audience known? Here are some tips:
Research your audience. Find out the kinds of people who usually attend this session.
What are their ages, sex, socio-economic background and likely interests?