Delivering a speech – how to be relaxed?
For most of us the scare of having to address an audience is perhaps the greatest fear. And it is a fact that most people prefer to avoid such tasks than take them up even if it means enduring some personal discomfort.
1. Catecholamine which is in our body as a natural secretion which makes us sweat and increase heart rate and makes us shiver in response to nervousness and fear, is present in our bodies. Great speakers like Sir Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln etc also faced this problem. But the difference was that these great men worked hard and got rid of these physiological issues by concentrating on their talk, listeners and surrendered to the stage.
2. One of the ideas to negate this scare is by reminding yourself of what a great person you are. Stick to those ideas that assist you and make you fantasize great things. Tell yourself that you are a great person and your listeners just love you.
3. Spend some time with yourself, deliberate on the speech, see yourself in front of the audience delivering a great speech, do some physical activity. Take deep breaths, because this helps your brain relax and has a calming effect on you.
4. Remember that audience is unaware of your tension so don’t bother. If you train well, you can reduce your internal tension. You should be 200 percent thorough about your subject.
5. Public speaking trainers often emphasize on the value of rehearsals. Yes it is good to rehearse often; some good places can be while driving, in the bathroom, in front of your family, friends, etc. Try as much as possible to deliver you talk in a chatty and conversational style.
6. Practice, practice and more practice is the only way to succeed in public speaking. As you rehearse try to be active, gesture, modulate your voice, move across the stage etc.
7. Physical activity is a perfect stress buster. Hours before your talk indulge in some brisk physical activity, such as stretches, walking, jogging etc.
