Public Speaking Skills For Dummies

Chapter 20

Ten (or So) Tips for Stage Fright

IN THIS CHAPTER

Accepting your fear

Knowing the importance of practice, breathing, and relaxing

Trying other tips for calming down

Stage fright can afflict nearly anyone. This short chapter pulls together some tips and advice aimed at helping you overcome it.

Accept Your Fear

The first step to solving any problem is to be aware of it. Be it smoking, eating cheesy-poofs before bed, interrupting your kids and not listening to them because you know the answer — your acceptance that it’s actually a problem is important. And before you work on accepting your fear, let me tell you something: It’s okay to be afraid. It’s natural to be afraid.

Fear of public speaking is common and widespread. As the old saying goes, many people are more afraid of public speaking than of dying. It’s all right if you’re in that boat. But instead of taking that information and allowing it to make you more negative, just accept it and move on.

And there’s the kicker. Because how is just accepting the fear going to help you at all? By going out there and doing it, that’s how. Speaking in front of people. You could be doing it every day, at work, at the parent-teacher ...