Three Mental Tricks to Reduce Your Fear of Public Speaking

Let me tell you—I wouldn’t be where I am today without public speaking.

There’s nothing like speaking to hundreds or thousands of people at the same time. There’s nothing like getting your ideas, your business, and your products out there to countless interested customers—all in one speech.

It’s not an understatement to say that public speaking has helped changed my life. It has spurred my business to a new level, and it has helped me gain a much wider client base.

Unfortunately, too many of us are afraid of public speaking. When we get in front of crowds, we lock up. We think they are judging us. We become nervous and start to shake. The audience notices and loses interest.

In the end, we fail to get across the message we so desperately wanted to communicate.

If you ever want to be successful in business, you must not do this. Instead, you need to master the art of public speaking so that you can take your life and your business to a whole new level.

With the following three tips, you will be on track to perfect public speaking. Are you ready?

Let’s dive in!

Focus on One Person at a Time—but Never Yourself

Most of us fail when it comes to public speaking simply because we don’t know who to focus on. Unfortunately for many of us, we spend too much time focusing on ourselves.

Am I looking stupid? Are they judging me? Are they interested in what I’m saying?

These questions can derail your presentation. There’s no way you won’t be nervous if you view everything in light of yourself and your deficiencies. If you see the audience as an enemy or as a judge, you won’t be able to proceed effectively with your speech.

That’s why you shouldn’t focus on yourself or even on the audience. Instead, you should focus on one person at a time. Make eye contact with one person. Talk to her. Watch for her reactions to see if she’s interested. It’s much easier to talk to one person than it is to five hundred.

Make sure you rotate around. You don’t want to stay talking to that same person the entire speech. Instead, go through as many people as you can, multiple times if you have to. Eventually, you will realize that the speech is over.

Doing this can take the pressure off yourself and away from an abstract judge, helping you stay confident in your speech and in the value you are bringing your audience.

Pump Yourself Up

My next tip might sound a little weird—but trust me, it works.

Have you ever seen those theater singers behind stage? They’re always doing crazy warmups. You’ll see them blowing their lips, making strange noises, doing little jigs—all of this is designed to help them combat anxiety.

You can do the same thing before your speech. If you are planning on giving an important speech regarding your business, make sure that you change your state of energy before you ever walk out on stage. It doesn’t really matter what you do. Whether you want to roar like a lion or punch the air like Bruce Lee, do something that will get your blood flowing.

Once you are in this state, you will find it easier to talk to people. You will feel more pumped, and your adrenaline will carry you through your speech expertly and with motivation.

This is what you want anyway. Audiences are attracted to high energy individuals, and there’s no better way to gain energy before your speech than to make it yourself.

So roar or hit or scream or dance.

Then walk out on stage and kill it.

Practice

Okay, this one may feel like a little bit of a cheat, but it’s worth mentioning. You will feel infinitely better and more confident in your speech if you practice it beforehand. Of course you will be nervous if you go into your speech not having rehearsed.

When you can predict what’s coming up in your speech and know what tone of voice to use, you will find it easier to maintain proper flow and make relevant hand gestures while you recite your speech. This is important because it helps the audience stay focused in and relate to what you are saying.

The good news is that it’s easy to practice. Whether you are looking to practice alone in front of a mirror (make sure you record it!) or with friends, you always have a way to monitor your progress and see just how you are doing.
This will pay huge dividends when it comes to speech time. So practice for that next speech.

I’m sure you’ll notice the difference it makes.

The Bottom Line

Public speaking isn’t easy—but it doesn’t have to be hard.

With the tips and tricks shown here, you will be able to take your public speaking game to a whole new level. Simply follow this advice and watch your confidence grow.

Mastering the art of public speaking will help you to grow your business and succeed in life. So don’t underestimate this valuable skill. In fact, though you may not realize it now, public speaking could be the difference between your boom and bust. Begin following these tips today to revolutionize your life and your business!