Public Speaking – You have a presentation and you are nervous. Now, you do not need to be nervous just read the blog how to overcome fear of public speaking in English.
This nervousness is not new.
This nervousness is common with almost more than 80% of the people who give their first public speech.
What to do?
How to prepare for presentation?
How would the audience respond?
And, many more such questions.
These questions only bother you, so rather than worrying simply practice and prepare for the public speech. For all the tips, click the link.
The more you practice and rehearse, your anxiousness will be reduced and confidence will be better.
You will be more relaxed and will handle anxiousness easily.
Also, visualize that you are speaking in front of the audience on the stage, capturing everyone’s attention.
Why do we get nervous while speaking in public?
Why do we get nervous while speaking in public?This is very normal, getting nervous while speaking in public, especially when it is in English language. It happens with almost every single person.
Speaking in public is not easy, especially in English or any other foreign language makes it doubly challenging.
Below mentioned are few concerns which you might find familiar.
- You are embarrassed by foreign accent.
- You are worried as you do not have the right words.
- Afraid, people might not understand your content.
- Afraid you might have a boring presentation.
- Not sure you will be able to handle the audience’s questions.
Let us cater to each concerns one by one and see how can we deal with them.
Fear 1 – Embarrassed by foreign accent
This is one common problem which is faced by many non-native speakers of English. They feel really embarrassed by their accent as they do not have a native speaking accent in English.
They are totally wrong!
The accent does not matter as long as the message is conveyed and understood properly.
The fact is that can be charming sometimes.
If you want to improve your English pronunciation in check out the guide to correct pronunciation.
While preparing for your presentation, you can take the help of a friend or colleague to hear your presentation. They can pinpoint the mistakes you are doing with English grammar and pronunciation. Also, whether the presentation can be understood easily or not.
Keep rehearsing the mistaken words, sentences until you do not get the flow naturally. You can also use applications, online dictionaries for help.
Fear 2 – Worried as not having the right words for Public Speaking
The main thing during public speaking is using the correct words, but not having the right words is a big problem for native speakers. To overcome this, you need to prepare yourself thoroughly. In the case of public speaking when stress is high, it is harder to find the right words.
You need to fight the negative effect of stress due to public speaking by preparing the vocabulary of your presentation in advance. Also, rehearse it for few times to get used to it.
At the time of your preparation, pay adequate attention to the beginning of your presentation as first few minutes are very important: If the start of the presentation is good, the rest topic can be presented with ease and confidence.
You need to remember one thing here, that is the message is important. Explain the message using different alternatives.
Fear 3 – Afraid of people might not understand your content for Public Speaking
While speaking publicly, a person may also fear that people might not understand the content shared by you.
If you wish to be understood by your audience, you need to speak clear English. Here do not stress much on the accent rather you need to focus on following things:
Structure your presentation should be logical
While working on a presentation, the structure of your speech is really important.
First, think of the objective you want to achieve with the presentation.
- Divide the presentation in 3 parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
- Introduction present the issue and the plan of the presentation.
- In the body develop the idea and facts that you wish to communicate.
- In the conclusion, repeat the important information and close the issue.
Repeating information will help the audience remember the content.
Use the right Intonation
Intonation is important than you might think. Use vocal variety to make your presentation interesting. It will also help audience to pay attention to what you are saying. One sentence can convey different meaning if said in the different tone.
To practice and check your expressiveness and engagement, video record your presentation. Watch it and find what needs to be corrected. You can spot the unpleasant parts. Practice them by voice modulation and Improve accordingly.
Fear 4 – Afraid of the presentation might be boring
Yes, you can be afraid of the presentation might be boring because English is not your native language. This leads to speak more slowly. This is not a weakness, but this is your strength. The flow of words is not same in the presentation as in the conversation as new information needs time to be digested.
Good public speakers adjust the pace of their presentations as per the audiences. Make sure that they understand the presentation.
Do not move too quickly from one idea to the next, else the audience might not understand it well.
Fear 5 – Not sure you will be able to handle the audience’s questions
The most frightening part of the presentation is the question and answer session especially for the non-native speaker. Though you can reduce the stress by few recommendations.
- As you are aware of the presentation in advance, anticipate the possible questions.
- Look for parts of the presentation which are most likely to be questioned. Once identified, prepare for the answers.
- Make sure you need to be an expert if you are presenting a topic. You should know the topic well. It will help you to be more confident in front of the audience.
- If you are asked a question which you are not prepared for, then use some strategies to buy time. You can do this by saying “Could you repeat, please?”, “Can you explain your question, I could not understand?”
- If you cannot answer the question, be confident, write down the question and get back with the answer later.
Final thought
Overcoming your fears of speaking in public and delivering a good presentation in English can be done, if the critical factor is preparation.
Remember “Good presentations are not improvised, but carefully prepared.”
To summarize, speaking publicly in English makes us all nervous, but remember that:
- Foreign accent is fine as long as you do not make serious pronunciation mistakes.
- Find the right words if you have rehearsed the presentation.
- Logical structure and adding intonation will help you make your presentation clear.
- Slower pace in English is ok for public speaking, in fact pauses are welcome.
- Anticipate questions and prepare answers accordingly.
One important thing, when you practice for presentation, build up your self-confidence as it is the key to a successful presentation.
How to learn communication system?
You can learn communication with a systematic process, it is part of my course fearless communicator blueprint. It will help you to get better at English language and public speaking. If you know the language you will conquer fear of English and public speaking.
To learn public speaking skills and English language, join my fearless communicator blueprint program
About the Author: Anju Jindal
Anju is a trainer, entrepreneur, and career growth specialist who helps students, working professionals, women, and Job seekers to reach out to their goals by implementing a Career Growth plan
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