Many people think speaking in public is more terrifying than death. However, there are ways to get over these fears and make expressing yourself on stage fun rather than torture.
Do your homework
Being prepared is essential. If you are giving a speech, write it, rehearse it, fine-tune it and practice it on friends and relatives before the big occasion. Have the words in your mind so you can focus on connecting with your audience.
Find a way of calming and centering yourself before you speak. Anxiety can really interfere with a performance, and for more on that, see this report from The Guardian. Finding a way of seeing that audience to make it less intimidating, such as imagining they are your friends, can also be helpful. You might also think of the audience as a large group of fluffy kittens.
You have the power
Remember that this is your occasion, and you are in charge of it. You decide what will take place and when. Again, being prepared and thinking through every element of the speech or performance before you go on stage will be extremely beneficial.
Once you have committed to making a speech, there is no getting out of it, so just accept that it has to be done, and keep calm and carry on. Another good technique is to stop overthinking and worrying. Do your preparation, and then trust that you have this under control. Stop thinking about what could go wrong or whether people will like your efforts. They will probably enjoy them more than you imagine.
If you can get over your terror, being a motivational speaker can be highly rewarding. You may be hosting a function that would benefit from a motivational speaker. To find out more about what kind of speaker you could have, consider consulting a site such as https://www.adventureman.org/motivational-speaker/ to get ideas.
Giving a speech can be nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t need to be. A speech or presentation is essentially a one-sided conversation, so practice on the people around you. It is a skill that benefits from use; the more you speak in front of people, the easier it will be. When you feel anxious, take that energy and channel it in to what you’re saying for maximum impact.
