Don’t Be Scared of Public Speaking—Be Prepared!

Biagio W. Sciacca, PhD
Pursuit, September 2007

Do you dislike speaking in public? If so, you’re not alone. Many of my students, both at the college and professional level, dread the prospect of speaking before an audience. You can overcome the fear and speak confidently in front of a group. None of the following suggestions are magic bullets; however, they are helpful in building confidence and crafting a well-received presentation.

Prepare, prepare, prepare. Competence breeds confidence. In public speaking, you only feel you’ve earned the right to speak after you have done the research necessary to speak with confidence. A 20-minute speech may take you five, six, or seven hours to research and prepare. More often than not, that is what it takes to give a successful presentation.
Practice makes perfect. Once you’ve completed the research, start practicing your speech aloud. Give your talk to your family, to yourself in the mirror, and to your pets. If you have a video camera, tape yourself. Also, if you’ve been asked to give a 20-minute speech, time yourself to make sure it is the correct length to avoid running over time or giving a presentation that is too brief.

Visualize success. Picture yourself giving your speech in a loud, clear, and self-assured voice. When you visualize yourself as confident and successful, you are more likely to actually perform that way.

Arrive early for your presentation. Take the time to make the meeting place your home turf. Would you feel more comfortable giving the talk in your living room? Then make the auditorium your living room. If you get there really early, you can even stand at the podium, speak into the microphone, look out over the empty seats, and pretend they are filled. Practice your speech one more time. Finally, greet the audience when they arrive.

Lighten up. If you’re very nervous, you may be over-focusing on yourself. Stop looking inward and start thinking about your audience. Instead of worrying about making a mistake, concentrate on getting your point across as effectively as possible. When I have a student who is really nervous delivering a speech, I will, on occasion, make funny faces at them while they are giving their talk. This usually makes them laugh, and they realize that giving a speech can actually be fun.

Take a public speaking seminar. By taking a course, you can gain valuable experience in a low stress setting, and most likely will discover that public speaking can be an enjoyable way to promote your expertise, make valuable business contacts, and boost your career.