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Turning Platform Panic into Personal Power: Harnessing the fear of Public Speaking
By Beverly Cohen, Communications Specialist of The Presentation Team

Does public speaking frighten you? When you stand up to speak do your hands sweat? Does your whole body tremble uncontrollably? Does your heart beat so loudly that you think the Philharmonic Orchestra is in your head? You are not alone! Millions of people experience these symptoms often enough so that public speaking is ranked as the Number One fear.

This irrational fear of speaking often limits success and results in missed opportunities for personal and professional advancement. Conquering this fear by turning nervous energy into positive excitement and enthusiasm takes commitment and practice, but the results are enormous and well worth the effort.

Apply the PAD Principle (Preparation, Attitude, Delivery) the next time you have the opportunity to speak in public, and watch your anxiety dissolve.

Preparation

• Know your material. Practice your speech. Be comfortable with it.
• Know your audience. Arrive early. Talk to the people so that they become allies not adversaries.
• Know your room. Become familiar with the physical set up and boundaries.
• Eat a light meal and avoid alcohol or caffeine.

Attitude

• Believe you will succeed.
• Reframe the situation as an opportunity for growth, rather than a source of embarrassment.
• Visualize yourself confidently delivering a perfect speech in front of a receptive audience. Do this daily.

Delivery

• Concentrate on your message, not your anxiety.
• Increase your personal impact by avoiding pacing back and forth, rocking at the lectern, clasping your hands and stammering. These are indications of nervousness.
• Maintain eye contact. Select 3 people, one in each corner of the room and one in the middle. Focus your attention on them and look at them often throughout your presentation.

Remember that experience builds confidence, and perfect practice makes perfect. By concentrating on Preparation, Attitude and Delivery, you can turn Platform Panic into Personal Power. As Ralph Waldo Emerson proclaimed, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."