What Doesn't Work To Defeat Fear of Speaking Publicly

Many people will try anything to avoid speaking in public. The fear of speaking publicly can be frightening to some people and while they may find tips that will ease their public speaking anxiety, some of these tips aren't helpful and can actually create more problems. These tips are discussed below and should be avoided.

To eliminate the fear of speaking publicly, it is often said that you should rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. While preparation and practice are essential steps for producing a quality speech, too much rehearsal can cause more problems than it solves. This is especially true if you have strong public speaking phobias. Constantly focusing on your speech can make you stressed out, and you may get the speech so set in your mind that if a change occurs for some reason, you may not be able to cope.

The alternative way of attempting to deal with your dread of speaking to an audience is often equally disastrous. Many think that the only solution to overcome anxiety like this is by simply diving in with very little planning. While the dread of speaking to an audience is sometimes overcome by putting yourself in settings where you are obligated to talk to others, beginning with important situations and not adequately preparing yourself is more likely to intensify your dread than to get rid of it.

Lastly, some individuals will try to overcome their dread of speaking before a crowd by utilizing alcohol to relax. These people believe that one or two drinks prior to an important presentation can take the edge off their anxiety and allow them to give a presentation that goes a lot more smoothly. This may be a risky approach when giving a speech, because too much alcohol can lead to more errors and a reduced ability to react in case of setbacks. A lot of trust can also be lost if the crowd feels that you have consumed alcohol.

There are people who have used these tips and are convinced that they have helped them with their fear of speaking publicly. They are so confident because these techniques worked for them and so they will try to persuade you to follow what they did. Every person is different in how they deal with public speaking anxiety, yet it is important to try techniques that have been proven by experts, rather than attempt a first speech with no professional guidance, which will no doubt bring about more anxiety and further fear.

Tags: value of public speaking skills, importance of public speaking, confidence in public speaking telecourse version, public speaking advice, how to conquer public speaking, public speaking topics