http://www.fearofspeaking.net Learn How To Conquer Your Fear Of Public Speaking And Speak Publically With Confidence Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:22:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.fearofspeaking.net/fear-of-public-speaking/ http://www.fearofspeaking.net/fear-of-public-speaking/#comments jakesmith http://www.fearofspeaking.net/

Fear of Speaking in Front of Small Groups
- Tips to Deal with Small Group Anxiety

The fear of speaking in front of large groups is extremely common, but what if your fear extends mainly to small groups of people? If you find yourself growing tense when you have to speak up in small business meetings or in social situations where small groups of people huddle together to talk, you are not alone. Millions of people deal with this type of fear of speaking every single day.

The first thing to consider is whether your fear of speaking is isolated to specific types of small group encounters or if it is more a generalized fear of speaking to people in smaller groups at any time and under any circumstances.

If you find that it is mainly in business settings then you may be experiencing more anxiety than fear. Many people get very anxious when they are speaking in front of a boss or others who may judge them inadequate on the job. Since this could threaten their career and livelihood the fear and anxiety makes a lot of sense.

If your fear of speaking is more general, then chances are there is an ingrained fear that you will be judged, rejected, or otherwise harmed by speaking out in front of others. In the worst cases you may be fearful of speaking out even when you are friends with everyone in the group, while minor cases isolate themselves to speaking to others who you are not very friendly with.

If your anxiety is isolated to a business or professional setting where you have a fear of talking in meetings and other situations that could affect your job, here are some things you can do to help:

1. Make a list of all your qualifications for your job.  Make sure to list personal attributes and previous praises received from your boss as well as technical experience and skills.

2. Make sure you are thoroughly prepared for every meeting, which means staying on top of the job to ensure you are prepared for a surprise meeting with less warning for preparation.

3. Attend social events or after-hours activities with your colleagues. Getting to know them on a more personal level can ease your anxiety in business settings.

4. Take a moment to do deep breathing exercises and mentally prepare yourself prior to attending the meeting, whenever possible.

If you have a more generalized fear of speaking in a small group setting, here are some things you can do to help:

1. Make a list of all the things you fear may happen if you speak up in these situations. Include every little fear no matter how silly it may seem. Then think of reasons why each of these fears is irrational.

2. Include meditation, yoga, Pilates, or other forms of relaxation into your daily life. The goal is to be more relaxed and easy going in general so anxiety is relieved during these interactions.

3. Put yourself into as many small group situations as possible so you get more accustomed to this type of interaction.

Practice is the best thing you can give yourself to get over this type of fear. The more you put yourself into situations that require small group interactions the easier your fear of speaking in a small group will be to handle.

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5 Practical Tips to Overcome
the Fear of Speaking in Public

The fear of speaking in public can be so intense that it paralyzes some people and stops them from giving the intelligent, articulate speech that they have been rehearsing in their heads for days, weeks, or sometimes months. It is quite disappointing to stand up in front of others and feel yourself choke or sense that your heart is beating so loud you can’t hear your own words. If you struggle with speaking in public and want to conquer your fear of speaking, then the following tips should help you overcome it in the future.

#1: Make sure you have the first minute or two of your speech down perfectly.

For many people with a light fear of speaking in public, it only takes the first few minutes of speaking to move beyond the fear and settle into the speech comfortably. If this is your first speech or you know for certain that your main fear vanishes once you get into the speech, make sure you prepare the first portion of your speech to perfection.

You should have every word memorized so you don’t have to worry about reading off of a teleprompter or from paper while your nerves are trembling.

#2: Practice in front of those who love you.

Assemble a group of people who you know love you and who you trust and give your speech to them. For a more intense fear of public speaking you may want to start with just one or two people and gradually increase the crowd until you are speaking in front of a large group of family and friends. This will allow you to become comfortable in larger groups with time.

The benefit here is seeing the reaction of others to your words and seeing that they still love you, even when you mess up or if your opening joke isn’t really all that funny.

#3: Start preparing for the speaking event well in advance, when possible.

As soon as you know you will have to give a speech in front of others, get your words down on paper and start practicing. The more time you have to memorize the words and tweak everything to perfection the more comfortable you are going to feel.

#4: Incorporate meditation, yoga, or other relaxation methods into your daily life.

Anxiety and stress has a lot to do with the fear of speaking in public, so try to calm your nerves and relax in natural ways in the weeks and months leading up to a speech. If you will have to speak in front of others at unexpected moments or on a routine basis it is best to perform meditation or yoga daily so you are calmer in general.

#5: Take long, slow, deep breaths and repeat affirmations in your head just before entering the stage or standing up.

Spend some time looking up quotes that inspire you and bring calmness to your body and then repeat them in your head over and over while breathing deeply prior to going on stage.

Feel free to tweak these tips as needed to help you overcome your fear of speaking in public.

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