4 Tips to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking at Work 

At any one time you will be called upon to speak before an audience. Be it your colleagues, managers, supervisor, or even staff working under your supervision. Even if you don’t need to make regular presentations in front of a group, there are plenty of situations where good public speaking skills can help you advance your career and create opportunities.

Don’t be fooled, we all tense before speaking to an audience regardless of how many times we have done it before. It is human nature. Even then, here is a list of five tips to help you overcome/manage your fear of public speaking.

  1. Know Your Subject

Nothing gets you tensed up like the knowledge that you are unprepared/underprepared. On the other hand, nothing builds your confidence like being sure that what you are saying is what you intended to say and is accurate and is clear. Research your topic thoroughly before preparing a presentation. Double check your notes/major points and anticipate the questions you may get asked. Research your topic exhaustively. You don’t have to be smarter than everyone else in the room, but you do have to show your expertise in your chosen subject.

Research on your subject matter until you are comfortable and feel confident in yourself. It’s not that you have to memorize your content word for word but instead outline your main points. Make sure they flow in a logical manner- Introduction, body and conclusion.

When choosing a topic, pick one that:

  • Has had an inordinate impact on you
  • You want to share with others
  • You intensely feel others could benefit from your expertise
  • You can speak about from the heart

When you speak about something you passionately care about you will be more comfortable and feel more confident in yourself

 

  1. Know Your Audience

Every speech you make is geared towards a particular audience. Find out what group your audience will be made up of, and then gear your material to their needs.

Will your audience be made up of experts, or beginners? Will you be addressing your peers, or your superiors? Are attendees all internal staff or external suppliers and vendors? Your target audience wants you to speak at their level. Use the kind of language and terminology that your listeners are accustomed to hearing. Make sure you know who you are delivering to so as to pitch the subject matter at the right level and with the right tone too.  Use comparisons and descriptions that your listeners can relate to.

More importantly, avoid the use of technical jargon unless you are sure your audience understands it. Otherwise you risk boring your audience to death. Well, that’s extreme but, you understand what I mean, right?

Establish a strong connection with the audience through open, accessible body language, inclusive eye contact, and above all be authentic and speak from the heart.

 

  1. Practice

The only way to overcome the fear of public speaking is to force yourself to do as much public speaking as you can. The idea being that each time you do it you get a little bit more confident. To get practice, seek opportunities to speak in front of others. You could also put yourself in situations that require public speaking, such as volunteering to cross-train a group from another department, or by offering to speak at team meetings. Of course this is easier said than done. But there’s nothing to lose by putting yourself out there and volunteering to speak before an audience. In fact, the more you practice public speaking the more familiar it becomes.Ideally, get the early stage of your public speaking practice when you’re starting out in your career so you’re competent by the time you need to do it as a professional.

No amount of experience will hide the fact that you are unprepared. You simply cannot be a confident, compelling speaker without practice. Practice makes perfect. So, practice!

NB- If you will be using PowerPoint to do your presentation, practice connecting your equipment, and using it comfortably.

 

  1. Know Your Objectives In Advance

Set goals for your presentation as this allows you to hone your content. Ask yourself, “Why I’m I doing this?”  Decide first what you want to accomplish. Is it to inform the audience so they’ll have enough to make a decision? Is it to persuade them to agree with your point of view? Do you want to impress your superiors with your knowledge ahead of your performance review?

Regardless of your objectives, a presentation is a piece of strategic communication. You want your audience to do something specific when you’re finished speaking. Knowing your objective allows you to tailor your presentation to match your agenda.

In conclusion, good public speaking can help you get a job or promotion, raise awareness for your team or organization, and educate others. Remember, the more you push yourself to speak in front of others, the better you’ll become, and the more confidence you’ll have!

What are some of the tips you use to overcome the fear of public speaking?