For decades, surveys from all over have consistently indicated that about 75% of the population tends to fear, or at a minimum, avoids public speaking. Studies done from various universities and media companies across the country – Forbes, The National Institutes of Health, and The Washington Post – have cited this staggering 75% statistic concerning America’s public speaking avoidance tendencies. In fact, public speaking has garnered so much notoriety through the years, that the “fear of public speaking” has coined its own eccentric term: glossophobia.
Take the quiz for some pointers on how to best structure presentations, leading to calm feelings and reduced anxiety. Though it will take time, the effort that you pour into setting yourself up well for presentations and public speaking in general will be worthwhile; you may find that you enjoy the leadership and further opportunities that come your way through your newfound skills.
What is a practical way to relieve anxiety jitters before delivering a presentation at work?
- Remind yourself of the authority and expertise that you have in your field
- Find ways to reduce the total amount of time you’ll need to spend presenting
- Practice your presentation as many times as it takes for you to memorize it, which will reduce any chances for spontaneous mess-ups
- Focus on relaxing breathing techniques and take some down time away from your presentation before it’s time to present
What is the best way to field questions and answers while leading a presentation?
- Announce before the presentation that there will be no questions, and refer the group to alternate resources
- Take questions as they arise to emphasize the importance of crowd engagement, even if it stops the flow of your presentation
- At the beginning of the presentation, announce that there will be a specific time set aside for questions
- Since you’re in charge of the presentation, it’s okay to ignore questions as they can often be disruptive
How can you shift your mindset towards overcoming public speaking anxiety in the workplace?
- Hone in mentally on the value that you will be providing to the audience, using that as fuel for a calm presentation
- Simply accept that public speaking is a part of life, as difficult and bothersome as it may be
- Accept that public speaking will most likely always be a struggle for you, but that there are ways for you to cope overtime
- Focus on suppressing your nervousness as much as you can to avoid it bleeding into your work and presentation
As you structure a work presentation, how can you best organize your content to reduce stress and anxiety while presenting?
- Begin with a conclusion first and work backwards, so that you stay focused on your main idea the entire time
- Base your entire presentation primarily off of stories to help keep you comfortable
- Change the presentation up as you go in order to have more fun with the material
- Build an outline for yourself, dividing up your main points into sections and bullets to ensure you don’t forget anything along the way
How can you work to further build public speaking confidence in the long term?
- Seek out and be okay with accepting criticism and feedback from others along the way
- Focus mainly on your public speaking strengths and continue to build on those
- Only say yes to public speaking opportunities that you truly feel you can excel in
- Find someone who is good at public speaking and work to mimic their strategies and mannerisms
What is a practical way to relieve anxiety jitters before delivering a presentation at work?
- Remind yourself of the authority and expertise that you have in your field
- Find ways to reduce the total amount of time you’ll need to spend presenting
- Practice your presentation as many times as it takes for you to memorize it, which will reduce any chances for spontaneous mess-ups
- Focus on relaxing breathing techniques and take some down time away from your presentation before it’s time to present
What is the best way to field questions and answers while leading a presentation?
- Announce before the presentation that there will be no questions, and refer the group to alternate resources
- Take questions as they arise to emphasize the importance of crowd engagement, even if it stops the flow of your presentation
- At the beginning of the presentation, announce that there will be a specific time set aside for questions
- Since you’re in charge of the presentation, it’s okay to ignore questions as they can often be disruptive
How can you shift your mindset towards overcoming public speaking anxiety in the workplace?
- Hone in mentally on the value that you will be providing to the audience, using that as fuel for a calm presentation
- Simply accept that public speaking is a part of life, as difficult and bothersome as it may be
- Accept that public speaking will most likely always be a struggle for you, but that there are ways for you to cope overtime
- Focus on suppressing your nervousness as much as you can to avoid it bleeding into your work and presentation
As you structure a work presentation, how can you best organize your content to reduce stress and anxiety while presenting?
- Begin with a conclusion first and work backwards, so that you stay focused on your main idea the entire time
- Base your entire presentation primarily off of stories to help keep you comfortable
- Change the presentation up as you go in order to have more fun with the material
- Build an outline for yourself, dividing up your main points into sections and bullets to ensure you don’t forget anything along the way
How can you work to further build public speaking confidence in the long term?
- Seek out and be okay with accepting criticism and feedback from others along the way
- Focus mainly on your public speaking strengths and continue to build on those
- Only say yes to public speaking opportunities that you truly feel you can excel in
- Find someone who is good at public speaking and work to mimic their strategies and mannerisms
Associated along with glossophobia are a slew of anxiety manifestations that present in our bodies, from shaking limbs to digestive problems. And as many of us know from our experiences with anxiety, it tends to start with our mental patterns and subsequently spread throughout our bodies in various, grueling ways. This is potentially one of the reasons that public speaking can be so debilitating; it often results in crippling and embarrassing physical symptoms for the speaker, not to mention the standard nervousness or “butterflies” that already tend to accompany public speaking. Yet the unfortunate reality is that at one time or another, most of us will eventually have to make a presentation of sorts, whether professionally or casually. For the few amongst us who relish in the opportunity to speak or present to a crowd, this is a happy reality, but for the rest of us, it’s crucial for us to face our fears and learn to manage what is the widespread and normal occurrence that is public speaking.
Facing those pesky public speaking fears can feel like taking on a monster, but imagine the freedom you would feel in certain areas of your life if public speaking didn’t take up quite as much anxious space in your head. More generally, events would feel less daunting. Perhaps you’d be freed up professionally, able to take on more presentations or lead more meetings. On a more personal note, you could share more memories or stories at weddings and family reunions.