Public speaking

[Wallflower1]

Hi there,

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on public speaking for people with anxiety? I practiced none stop for about two weeks, but of course within two minutes of talking I forgot what I was saying, repeated myself, minced up words, went bright red, ran out of oxygen etc. I tried to convince myself that it didn’t go as bad as what I thought, but today I get an email from my boss with a list of about 9 things I did wrong and that I needed to practice more etc. So now I feel super sh*t. What can I do to get better at speaking in front of others?

[quirkywords]

Wallflower.

Welcome to the forum.

firstly well done for completing your speech. the first time is always difficult.

Your boss should have started by saying something positive and then a room for improvement and then ended on a positive note.

9 things is far too many things to concentrate on and of course you feel down.

practice is very important . what sort of talk are you doing?

I think slow deep breathing can help.

I am not sure if there is a Toastmasters club near you as they help people with public speaking skills. they look atbstructure of a speech, beginning middle and end, hand gestures, vocal variety .

.the start should get everyone’s attention and the d needs to leave people thinking, sometimes you can end by going back to beginning. start with a question, or end with a question if suitable.

Maybe pick one point you think is the most important of all the ones your boss sent you.

If you want to you can tell us what you want to work on.

Most people even experienced people get nervous before speaking in public.

could you get someone to video you while you speak then you can look at how you speak.

just a few suggestions let me know what you think.

Quirky

[unicornprincess29]

Hey wallflower1, welcome to the BB forums! 🙂

I have anxiety as well, and my degree and future career also mean I’ll need to talk to a lot of people a lot of the time. I find it helps me when I feel really confident about what I’m saying. It also helps me to just focus on making eye contact with a few people I may already know... that way I look like I’m engaging with the audience but I still feel comfortable because I know them. I’ve heard of people also looking sort of above someone’s eye line, so you’re not staring them down but it still looks like you’re looking at people (if that makes sense). I know in massive lecture theatres, a lot of people just pick set points to look at ie an empty chair, a projector monitor etc. so they look as though they’re looking into the crowd, but you still feel good because you’re not really looking at anyone. Oh and I think it also helps to practice on family/friends/or even a pet so you can build that confidence of having to say it to someone (rather than just practicing it to yourself).

I hope that helps! 🙂

unicornprincess

[baet123]

Hi Wallflower 🙂

Welcome to the forums!

What your going through is extremely common. Public speaking is a very interesting topic as for some people have a natural knack for it while most do not. Don't stress or worry about it too much as you will get better with practice.

Here are a few techniques/ideas you may want to try to improve your public speaking:

1 - Be prepared and know your stuff!

2 - Try practicing in front of friends/family or people you feel the most confident around.

3 - Remember its ok to be nervous and it is common so this isn't necessarily a bad way to feel! Try take some deep breaths and just slow your breathing down and your heart rate before you speak!

4 - Simplify your presentation!

Hope these helped.

Look forward to hearing back from you!

Baet123