Glossophobia, popularly known as the fear of public speaking, is ranked higher than the fear of death. Fear of public speaking is a pervasive form of anxiety that leaves people with sweating palms, weak knees, slouching shoulders, and fumbling ideas. One can find many people actively avoiding speaking in public, which can be a massive drawback in one’s career and personal life. Worry not, readers! If you have found yourself stumbling upon this read, we have brought you some tips and tricks to hack this fear and become a glib talker!
Have an in-depth understanding of your subject.
Understanding your subject matter and staying updated about its status quo is essential. You cannot address an audience without sufficient knowledge of your subject. This can not only result in the propagation of false information, which can be detrimental for your image and marketing but also cause you to cut a sorry figure if publicly called out and shamed.
Make points and cue cards.
Once you have a clear understanding of your concept, it is time to mentally arrange the information into coherent points of structure and flow in your mind like a story. To attain fluency in narration, you should prepare cue cards with one or two keywords per point. This exercise will make you have a firmer grip over your matter thus, less nervousness and fumbling.
Practice again and again.
The more you practice, the more confidence you gain. You may stand in front of a mirror or invite a small audience at home and get to work! Remember, this exercise is beneficial when practiced In Front of different people. This will help you build the habit of speaking in front of other people and avoid cold feet on D-Day.
List your worries.
If you are faltering at the same places repeatedly, facing pronunciation problems, or gestures that are bothersome, you must list such problems down and pay increased emphasis on these. Always read this list before and after your practice sessions. This will remind you not to falter in such spaces, and even if you do, it will be manageable.
Visualize every night.
One of the most important parts of preparation is to visualize. Think of yourself on the stage, addressing the crowd, feeling epic and confident. Visualize how you would give the speech and how positively the audience shall respond. This exercise will unspool your visualizations into reality. It will decrease negativity in your thoughts and will help you remain positive and enthralled!
Keep familiar faces in the audience.
A repeated formula used by many public speakers is that they keep one or more known faces in public and look at them as an interaction with the audience. These familiar faces provide assurance and a state of calmness as you have already addressed these people previously!
Deep breathe.
Deep breathing is an effective exercise that helps you achieve the much-required balance and calm in stressful situations. Before the performance, one must practice deep breathing to gain composure.
What to do with your hands?
Often, speakers do not understand what to do with their hands while they speak. So, think calmly while standing in front of the mirror and assess what hand positions suit you the best. This could be either folding them together or interlocking or simply keeping them on the side.
In addition to this, if you feel that your fear is overwhelming to the point that you cannot operate in public spheres or hamper your work or personal life, kindly contact a therapist, and they will assist you in overcoming this fear!
When followed to the T, these eight tips will help you overcome glossophobia and enable you to confidently speak your heart out in public while you enjoy it!
About the Author – Khushi Singh is a final-year student at Manipal Institute of Communication.
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