What are the most effective ways to help someone overcome a fear of public speaking?

Using myself as an example, I used to be afraid of public speaking and facing people or crowd, I was able to overcome this fear by; - speaking in front of smaller, supportive audiences such as family members, friends, or colleagues -Starting presentation with a compelling story or a thought-provoking question, or a surprising statistic. This can capture the audience's attention and help you establish a confident and engaging presence from the start. - Look for opportunities to practice public speaking, such as joining a Toastmasters club or participating in local community events. These platforms provide a supportive and constructive environment where you can develop and refine your speaking skills.

1. Over preparation/memorization can be much worse than being underprepared. Know your key talking points and then speak with authority from the heart. 2. Regular experience speaking in front of an audience of any size is the best path to overcoming one's fear

I used to have a morbid fear of Public Speaking Being a shy introvert with limited vocabulary. Agree with Rosni Just do it, Nothing to fear but fear itself. Practise Practise And Practice again Once we throw away that fear of being embarrassed We will realize actually It is not as bad as we thought Having someone to give us feedback helps Attending some form of public speaking training is very useful When all else fail Watch YouTube or other social media. I have learnt some tips and tricks via watching TikTok 😁

I learned to just do it, and learning from mishaps. I remember giving a presentation where I put on the headset slightly crooked so that it continuously slipped off - it was a nightmare. However I learned from it. I also remember the first time I gave a technical presentation in Chinese to an all Chinese audience. The presentation slides were in English, because I wanted to present in English. On the evening before the conference organiser encouraged/persuaded me to speak in Chinese ... All I had the next morning was a small note with transcribed Chinese names of a few specific technical terms I needed to know. Being extremely nervous was the most polite way to describe how I felt, however I've done it - and felt so good afterwards.

Public speaking is not for everyone. It is normal for a person to be nervous before a speech, even if he is an experienced public speaker - as I am. That nervousness is good, because it prevents over-confidence. However, some people experience sheer terror, a crippling fear. They may stammer badly, swoon, puke, and make fools of themselves on stage. Forcing such a person to get on stage, is downright cruel. No matter what fancy psychological tools are used, it is just cruel. Just leave him alone. There is no shame in being mortally afraid of something. Instead of damaging his self-esteem by forcing him to do something he is terrified of, it is far better to let him do something he is good at. He can't give a speech. So what?

What we say out loud is 7 times more powerful than what we say in our head. So verbalising our positive thoughts when we prepare is vital. Also saying your speech or presentation out loud familiarises yourself with it much more than saying it in your head. Positive compliments from others are WAY MORE powerful than telling ourselves we are good. So get proactive on seeking honest and constructive feedback. We are never as bad at things as we think we are. Our own worst critic.

One thing l found helpful and also the part of exposure, allow yourself to be there, allow yourself to be pinned down and you will learn more. It's an adventure

One of the best ways to overcome public speaking - which aligns with preparing and practicing - is showing up on video. Talking to a camera is an effective way to ease into being in front of a group of people. It's also giving you content that you can use on your website, social channels, YouTube, etc. - all of which will expand your brand and increase your chances of getting more public speaking opportunities.

Those who are naturally gifted at a thing are much more rare than the rest of us who are simply stubborn! Write out a general outline of what you'd like to discuss, and practice it. It should list the key points and what you want to get across for each of them. Once you have that down, make one-word bullet points for the main topics. Practice again. Once you have that down, you should know the bullet points to hit and go through them in your head. I never judge a public speaker who has notes to which they refer during the presentation, but I personally like to challenge myself and never use prompts when I public speak due to the preparation I'm willing to do beforehand.

What if everything goes right? One of the most reassuring things I've ever heard from a fellow public speaker right before she went on stage was that no one in the audience knows what you're going to say, and so whatever you do, that's the presentation to them, and it goes well to them every time. Think about that and take the pressure off your shoulders. Practice box breathing beforehand to tell your nervous system that you're not in danger, and when you feel that pulse of adrenaline, tell yourself that you are excited instead of worried or afraid.

Handling of stress is key! Not even the best speaker can claim that he/she is stress-free. It is all down how to cope with it. Breathing exercises are definitely of advantage. And having a glass of water available during the speech. Although alcohol consumption prior to a speech or presentation is detrimental and should be avoided at all cost, some people might need a swig of something strong just to jump start

One thing I've found helpful and what has helped others is to not think of it as a "presentation" but more of a conversation and an exchange of ideas. 💡 Instead of positioning yourself as the "expert" think of yourself as a host - to be in service of the audience and to leverage the collective wisdom in the room. How can you include elements that allow the audience (contributors) to share and exchange adding to your presentation.

I like to joke that I never do death by PowerPoint. Glance at your presentation how you need to if you've got one, but gently look around the room moving from "talking to" one person to the next. Build into your presentation questions to ask, icebreakers, what they hope to get out of the presentation, etc. An audience will naturally be more curious if you're talking to and working with them directly to lead them through the presentation versus simply reciting it to them.

Storytelling and asking questions during a presentation helps to bond with the audience. Using humour and/or telling jokes to a multicultural audience can backfire terribly, and should be avoided at all cost

Honest feedback is a great tool for improvement. A "well done" is a great praise, however doesn't help for future speeches/presentation. Not everybody can give a honest feedback, and not everybody can receive it either. It is a very thin line between a real coaching and someone feeling annoyed/hurt/embarrassed over what has been said

Feedback helps you identify areas of improvement. As long as you see yourself as work in progress, you will get comfortable at every speaking opportunity you take.

Consider that your fear of public speaking stems from negative self talk, eg. "What if I screw up and come across stupid?" "What if the audience doesn't get me?". Instead, flip it and think about the audience and your intent of your message: How are you in service of them? What will they gain and be enriched with at the end of your talk? How will they behave and think differently? When you start thinking of the audience instead of yourself, the fear of public speaking greatly reduces.

Attendees who listen to you speak WANT you to succeed. They are spending time to learn from you. No one wastes time at an event hoping you fail! This was a significant mindset shift for me and helped me stay calm and confident throughout.

The best way to minimise fear is by just DOING it - so give yourself every opportunity to deliver presentations. It is true that it gets easier every time. Here are other tips that help. PLAN - the structure of your presentation keeping your audience in mind and the objective you want to achieve. Then storyboard your slides PRACTICE - and practice articulating your presentation out loud in front of a camera or mirror - this is critical. Not about memorising but getting comfortable about the message you want to share. PLAN - on the questions that may come up and think through how you would answer them. Your sense of confidence will come from your sense of preparedness.

How leaders behave in public forums & group meetings, drives a big percentage of them being perceived as strong and promising leaders. The key to effective public speaking lies in preparation which can be divided in 3 categories - Understanding the audience, understanding the content & understanding your own communication style. My coaching clients have benefitted from the "one key message rule". i.e. If the audience remembers only 1 thing from your presentation, what would that be. This helps in reducing overwhelm & having a clear focus. The "Know-Feel-Do" framework is another powerful tool for preparation - What do you want the audience to know (information), how do you want them to feel (emotions) & what do you want them to do (action).