By Jonathan Elkins
The fear of public speaking is one of the most common anxieties in the modern world, as there is a significant portion of the people who have a strong dislike or fear of speaking in front of a crowd.
For a long time, I was certainly one of those people. I was incredibly socially reserved and terrified of speaking in front of others, until I was entered into a public speaking competition by one of my teachers in middle school. Through years of trial, error, and practice, I have several pieces of advice that I wish I would have known when I first started.
- Talk to crowds like you would an individual.
One of the biggest things that helped me speak more smoothly and to calm my nerves, was stripping away as much pressure as I could from the situation. The best presentations are done by people who come across as genuine and self-assured, so one should speak to a crowd as though they are speaking to each person in that crowd individually. This can be done more easily by making short, fluid eye-contact with different members of the audience. Whether it’s a classroom of 10, or a hall of 100, this gives the appearance of a more intimate interaction and confidence. - Don’t worry if you mess up.
The biggest thing to remember is that you are very likely to make a mistake; this happens to even the best speakers. The only difference is how smoothly you correct yourself and move on. If you absolutely must make a correction, then address it quickly and keep going. If you don’t need to correct yourself, then simply move on. Unless you are performing something the audience already knows, they won’t be able to tell if you mess up, so don’t make it obvious. - Know what you have to say, and how you want to say it.
Some of the worst presentations I have ever seen were the result of being unprepared. A lack or planning and practice can lead to speakers not knowing what they need to get across, or how they should go about relaying that message to the audience. If you need to present to a class or group, you have either a mental or physical outline of what you need to say. Even if you lack showmanship or confidence, you can give a truly captivating presentation simply by being knowledgeable and concise. At the end of the day the most important part of public speaking is being able to effectively communicate an idea or concept, not showmanship.
