It can be stressful when you have to stand in front of people to give a speech or presentation. In fact, public speaking anxiety can cause several physical and mental symptoms. It can make you shake and cause increased heart rate and nausea. In addition, it can cause racing thoughts and avoidance behaviors.

One of the most effective treatment options for public speaking anxiety is therapy. Therapy can help you manage your symptoms associated with anxiety and public speaking. In addition, it can help you identify the aspects of public speaking that trigger your anxiety so that you can cope in healthy ways. A therapist can also help you learn techniques to reduce your fear, stress, and anxiety. You can find a therapist today at BetterHelp who is qualified to help you with your public speaking anxiety. In addition, you can try these tips and tricks to help reduce your levels of anxiety about public speaking.

Prepare

To reduce your fear or public speaking, you can prepare as much as possible. Doing this will increase your confidence levels and make it easier to get through the presentation or speech without wondering if you will mess up or forget important information.

When possible, try to pick a topic that you enjoy. When you are speaking about something that you are interested in, then it can help you engage with the topic in a relatable way. It can also help you become prepared because the research and work on the presentation will come easier.

You can also prepare by scoping out the place that you will be speaking at. Whether it is a classroom, a conference room, or a theater or auditorium, it is a good idea to practice in that location. This can help you adjust to the lighting and surroundings. It can also help you level off your voice towards a good speaking volume. Doing this will reduce the things you have to worried about.

Try to prepare so much that you do not have to look at a script or memorize any information. Know the information, but do not memorize a script of the information. Flipping through notes can be distracting for the speaker and the audience and it is best to avoid them. If you are relying on notes and you cannot find the one you need then you will also be thrown off which can increase stress and anxiety levels.

Prepare answers for questions that your audience may ask. You can also prepare a good initial comment like “Thank you for that question” which can give you time to prepare your answer. Also, prepare a response for questions that you do not know the answer to off the top of your head.

Practice your presentation often and remember that the speaking time may be shorter when you actually present the material. This is because anxiety can cause us to speak faster in front of an audience. Practice as many times as you need to in order to be prepared, comfortable, and confident.

Picture Success

Imagine yourself being successful and doing a wonderful job while you are speaking in front of others. This is called visualization. What you imagine can help to change your perspective and even improve your performance.

You can also set goals to improve performance. Try to make personal goals to encourage motivation and preparation. Believe in yourself and strive to be the best public speaker that you can be.

Accept Your Anxiety

Anybody can have nervousness or anxiety before a performance or presentation. Learn to accept that you will be nervous and anxious and that it is normal to feel those things. In addition, you can think about your past presentations and public speaking events and know that you felt that way during those times and that you are fine now.

You can also focus on the positive aspects about the anxiety and the public speaking performance. Think about how you can use the situation for personal growth. You can also accept that public speaking is not one of your strengths and that you can use the things you are strong at to improve your speaking.

Conclusion

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking and even cause physical and mental symptoms associated with anxiety. However, if you accept that you will be nervous or anxious and prepare as much as you can before you get in front of the audience you can decrease your levels of fear and anxiety. However, if your fear of public speaking is disrupting your ability to function or harming your wellbeing, you may want to consider speaking with a mental health professional.