How to Reduce Speech Anxiety - Speaking skill

 Speech anxiety, or public performance anxiety, is very common. In this article you will be given common sense ideas as well as a few exercises to help calm the nerves and reduce the worry so that each additional speech you present will be an even easier and more comfortable experience.

Step 1 :The old adage is true: prepare, prepare, prepare.
Write out what you want to say.
It is easier to do it in summary or bullet form. Writing each word down will make it harder to talk to your audience. Allowing yourself room to speak normally, rather than in a stilted reading manner, may feel more nerve wracking but will actually give you space to breathe and to think.

Step 2 : Practice, practice, practice.
Practice by yourself. Ask a friend to listen, picking someone you can trust to give you honest feedback and in a positive way. It was somewhat long in the middle. 'Is there a better way you can say it?' is helpful. 'It stinks' is not.

Step 3 :Visualize your audience. In their underwear is really not the best way to help yourself. Instead imagine what they might look like. Visualize them with listening expressions. Feel their interest.
They want to be there. Even if they are required to attend due to say work, people always are ready to learn. The dryest of reports will have something new to say to someone. Imagine their surprise when they hear that one thing they did not expect.

Step 4:Know that you were asked to speak because you have the knowledge they need to have presented. You are the expert in the meeting or group. You are asked to talk because you have the information they need.

Step 5: As you imagine your audience take a reading of your mood. Are you feeling anxious just thinking about presenting?
That is the perfect time to do a breathing exercise.
Feel the nervousness and anxiety.
Then take in a slow long breath, to the **** of 5 or 6. Then exhale to the same number and time. Repeat until you feel the stress flow out of your body replaced by a feeling of calm.

Step 6:Another breathing exercise is to take in a long slow breath through your nose. Feel the coolness of the air, savor it as yu breath it in.
Feel it as you exhale. Notice how it has changed. It is now nice and warm.
Repeat at least 5 times, or until you feel calm and relaxed.

Step 7:If you have had a bad experience before with giving a speech or talk remind yourself that because that happened once it does not mean that you are and always will be a bad speech giver.
Tell yourself you have other done other things in life that may not have worked out well before but when you did them again they had a good outcome.
The same is true in this instance.
(And it is not just an issue of telling yourself - it is true - for everyone- one bad experience does not wipe out all the good outcomes, it just seems easier to remember the bad.