Surveys continually show that people fear public speaking more than death, but so much of academic and corporate life requires public speaking that it cannot be avoided. This article gives tips on how to make the process easier.
In a classic 1990s monologue, comedian Jerry Seinfeld told his audience that
Americans fear public speaking more than death. "Death is number two," Seinfeld
said. "Now, this means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral,
you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."
Unfortunately, the average person will be called upon to do a lot of public
speaking over the course of an academic or professional career. The following
article offers some ways to make it easier.
Overcoming Fears
In high school, I learned that if I wanted to avoid nervousness I should
imagine my audience in their underwear. As an adult, I find it to be more
distracting than helpful.
A better way to deal with nervousness is to remember that if most people fear
public speaking more than death, in most situations the audience is going to be
just as nervous for you. Remembering that should go a long way toward calming
fears.
In most situations, an audience has no way of knowing what's going on inside
your head. If you do not show fear, the audience will not see fear—fake it until
you make it.
Appearance matters. If your knees knock, wear baggy pants. If your
hands shake, try to avoid holding small sheaves of paper.
Know Your Audience
Ask important questions. Where does the audience come from? Why are they
here? What do they want to know?
Knowing something about your audience will alleviate most of your fears.
If you are a student in a classroom, you can assume your audience is as
nervous as you as they wait their turn to speak. They will be impressed if you
can make it through without collapsing.
If you are a teacher, you no doubt know that if you go overtime, you will
alienate your audience almost immediately.
In a corporate environment, colleagues are more likely to be forgiving of
mistakes than employers, but in most circumstances an employer will not be
familiar enough with the material to notice a mistake if you recover quickly.
The only time audience knowledge is useless is in a huge stadium venue, but
those who speak in these environments probably do not suffer from nervousness.
The more you know about who you are talking to, the less nervous you will be.