I just read an interesting article on fear of public speaking. According to the writer of the article, it makes a whole world of difference the thoughts that one feeds prior to - and during - the speech. If one believes that they might screw up, make a fool of themselves, or other negative thoughts, the delivery of the speech/presentation will probably be rather painful. On the other hand if one feeds positive thoughts - or more specifically, focuses on the difference his or her presentation will make, the presentation will most likely be much more successful and perhaps less stressful.
OK, I agree that to a certain point I agree with the article. Feeding the "wrong" thoughts definitely will make the whole process really painful (I know, I've been there). But there's more to it than what thoughts we feed prior to a presentation. And perhaps the process of becoming comfortable speaking is different for all of us.
For me, in the beginning, it did not matter what thoughts I fed - I was always extremely stressed and in physical pain. I'd have a huge stomach cramp, my heart would beat at 10,000 beats per second, almost like trying to escape from my chest, my knees would feel like butter, feeling like I'd collapse at any time; and believe it or not, my voice would start to quiver and had a feeling like I'd break down and start crying in any moment. (In those instances, I'd take a deep breath, look at my notes, and think that no one knows that I'm nervous "I can do this; I can do this," and in a few seconds the anxiety would subside.)
Another excruciating experience were the nights prior to my presentations, and especially the night prior to the event. Even if I could sleep a bit, I'd often wake up in terror and could barely breath. WoW! I truly feared that I'd get a heart attack one day and questioned my sanity why was I going on (I worked as a full-time speaker). However, with time, not only I could sleep through the nights prior to my presentations, but I'd often spend the day prior to the event going to a movie, have a great dinner with a beer or two and just relax, knowing that the next day I'll rock the house :) .
As you can see, I come from the most uncomfortable place a speaker can come from - complete terror and excruciating stress. What made all the difference for me - and what I see as a major factor in many speakers that I got to know - was practice and experience. I noticed that when I really know what I'm talking about - especially if it was something that I was passionate about - the more comfortable I feel speaking. But the major change in my attitude towards speaking came from experience: The more I spoke, the more comfortable I became in front of the my audience.
So remember! It doesn't matter how you feel right now about speaking, you can make it happen. All it takes is practice, and practice in front of a real audience. Speak at your church, volunteer at social services programs, at your Rotary club, and the best place, of course, is your local Toastmasters club where others just like you meet to practice their speaking skills.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up your yellow pages and call around to see where you can give your next presentation. Just make sure you speak on something that you are really passionate about, or something that you really know (or a fusion of the two would help too). Make it a 15 minutes presentation, 30 minutes, or an hour; but most importantly, DO IT.
Kick some dust. Let everyone see that, yes, you can do it (!).
