Ronja
Hübscher
The #1 Method to Beat Your Public Speaking Anxiety
Does this sound familiar?
What if I forget what to say? Everyone's gonna think I’m unprepared.
What if people don’t like my speech? They might think I’m boring and never invite me again.
What if I make a mistake and everyone laughs? I’ll be mortified.
What if my voice shakes too much? People will notice I’m nervous.
What if I get so nervous that I can’t speak? I’ll look so unprofessional.
What if I stumble over my words? It might seem like I didn’t practice enough.
What if no one pays attention to what I say? I’ll feel like the most uninteresting person ever.
What if I can’t answer a question from the audience? I’ll look utterly incompetent.
What if I lose my train of thought and can't find it again? My speech will seem messy and confusing.
What if I suddenly freeze? I can hear everyone whisper and laugh already.
WHAT IF I POOP MY PANTS????
Everyone has their own fears around public speaking and their own way of dealing with them. Some people let their fears consume them and avoid public speaking altogether, others zone out completely only to remember nothing of their presentation afterwards, and some - like you - are willing to work with and move through their fears so they have an actual chance to present at their best.
The question isn't if you have anxious feelings. The question is, what are you gonna do about them?
Whatever happens to you while you're presenting, don't try to ignore it. Acknowledging it mentally or even verbally allows you to rise above and to swiftly solve the problem. Whether this be the MC not introducing you properly, your necklace coming undone, your pants starting to slide down, your mic not working, or simply you needing a break to gather your thoughts: build in conscious movements, comments, thoughts or planned questions to the audience to still be in control. While you may panic or even swear in your mind for a second (you're only human after all), remember to move through your feelings. They're only temporary.
This is where careful planning comes in (if you've been following me for a while, you know I love thorough planning! - despite some things never wanting to go according to it...). The point of planning though is that it allows your mind to free itself from too much worry, because you've already thought of practical solutions to potential problems before they even occur.
Identify your fears and worries, build in safety nets where needed, and then work on your mindset.
