Business

7 Effective Techniques to Overcome Stage Fright and Ace Public Speaking Anytime

So it’s time to present that business proposal, your well-prepared marketing plan, a new product launch, or you’re about to train staff members on a new process—suddenly you have a dry mouth, your breathing becomes faster, your hands, knees, or voice are trembling, you suddenly have sweaty palms, and you feel dizzy. 

Speech anxiety or performance anxiety is normal, and in case you didn’t know, more people experience it than you can imagine. It only takes a few techniques to overcome this and bring your speaking abilities to the next level. Don’t let this get in the way of exuding charisma and appealing to your audience.

Quick Tips to Conquer your Stage Fright

Verbalize your intention or goal

When your nerves get to you, it’s easy to forget why you're speaking in front of an audience. You should go back to what you want to achieve: inspire a group of young people, let people know how your business can help them, showcase your talent, or get your potential client to make a favorable decision. This can help you focus and avoid having scattered thoughts about your presentation or meeting.

Choose a Focal Point

Before your meeting starts, scan the room before your audience arrives so you can get a feel of the space and make yourself comfortable. While you're still nervous, direct your gaze to an empty chair in the last row, a wall at the back of the auditorium, or mentally visualize your nervous energy flowing into a familiar object and leaving it there.

Break your negative thoughts

Don’t sulk in your negative thoughts and turn them into self-destructive statements. Shift them into positive ones so you could avoid blowing up your nervousness.

Practice conscious breathing

Breathe from your diaphragm or your belly. You might have heard this over and over, but breathing deeply allows us to take in more oxygen, which is greatly affected when we’re anxious. The amount of oxygen our bodies take in can be reduced by rapid breathing caused by stage fright. Practice breathing deeply days before your speech.

Take note of your tense muscles

A charismatic speaker can build rapport with their audience and radiate warmth towards the people they’re talking to. But when your muscles tense up because you’re experiencing stage fright, this can get in the way of your success in public speaking. 

So how do you ease your tensed jaw and stiff shoulders? Let's go back to breathing deeply. Take deep breaths for each of your body parts, starting from the head and moving down to the shoulders, stomach, thighs, shins, and finally your feet. Relax them one by one as you breathe slowly and deeply.

Stand like a tree

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your spine straight. Imagine that you’re a tree, and your hands, arms, and fingers are the branches. Your legs and torso are the tree trunk, and your feet are the roots holding you steadily on the ground. This helps you find your center and increase your focus.

Move around

Don’t let pressure build up by standing in one place. Release tension by walking around or making hand gestures while speaking. You can use hand gestures like you’re storytelling to further enhance your message. Commanding the space also reflects a charismatic and strong leader.

Success in Speaking

Speaking in front of an audience, no matter how large or small, is a fantastic opportunity to display charismatic leadership. When you speak in front of an audience, you can show off your friendly demeanor and relate a timely story to help the listeners get to know you better and gain their trust. Speaking confidently in front of an audience is a crucial skill to develop in this evolving economy, especially for business owners.

Being able to practice this skill is possible when you expose yourself to various opportunities at events such as conferences. An example of which are those events held by the Next Level Academy where different creators, business owners, and investors get together and experience various activities that help individuals grow further.

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