The fear of public speaking--otherwise known as glossophobia--is one of the most common fears, as reported by Forbes, which points out that it's simply an extension of the fear of embarrassing yourself. While practice and experience are ultimately the only way to overcome the fear of public speaking, following some basic tips for good public speaking can boost your confidence, stifle your anxiety and help you communicate effectively.
Before the Speech
Familiarizing yourself with your speech and the environment you're giving it in is essential to keeping nervousness to a minimum, public speaking coach Lenny Laskowski explains. Rehearse your material out loud repeatedly, preferably with the equipment you'll use during the speech. Recording yourself during rehearsal provides an invaluable perspective on how you look and sound.
Walk around the room to get a feel for it. Introducing yourself to some audience members beforehand can help, too. Toastmasters International explains that it's often most difficult to speak to complete strangers.
MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) advises avoiding dairy products before speaking. They cause coagulation around the vocal chords that prompt throat-clearing. A few minutes of deep breathing before a speech can help calm you. Envision your speech going well, and remind yourself the audience wants you to be successful.
Speech Content
The strength of your speech affects your confidence, its delivery and its reception. Stick to a conversational tone, and incorporate humor where possible. Humor should be natural, not contrived, and don't rely on cliche one-liners. Personal stories are easy to remember and make a speech more engaging.
Avoid overly complicated language and sentences, as they can trip you up and be hard for listeners to follow. When preparing your speech, be mindful of the audience members' relevant knowledge and experience. If you're too technical or assume too much of them, they won't follow you; however, if you spend too much time telling them what they already know, you'll bore them, and it may even seem as if you're talking down to them.
Delivery
Reading an entire speech comes across as unnatural and impersonal. Take just an outline up with you so you don't read, but you have notes if you forget some material. Never read your opening greeting to the audience, as that too is impersonal. MIT's UROP reminds you to articulate carefully and avoid slurring, and to speak slightly slower than a conversational pace. Laskowski advises using natural gestures that match up with your words, and that a lack of gesturing looks awkward.
