Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state that illustrates behavioral, cognitive, somatic and emotional components. It is known as a displeasing emotion of concern and fear. Moreover, anxiety is considered as a general word used to describe numerous disorders causing fear, worry, apprehension, and nervousness. Anxiety actually affects how you behave and feel. It manifests actual physical symptoms. On the other hand, mild anxiety is generally unsettling and vague whereas severe anxiety is extremely paralyzing and debilitating causing significant impact on your life. There are different kinds of anxiety and one of this is the public speaking anxiety.
It's critically important to feel comfortable with the people around you, particularly when you are learning. Make sure you have a teacher who is supportive and helpful. If not, find a new one.Role playing is one of the most helpful things you can do to reduce your speaking anxiety. As I mentioned in item one, speaking a foreign language is like having to present constantly. When I have to give a presentation at work, I prepare extensively to help me feel more comfortable, including scripting and rehearsing it as many times as I can. The same steps can be applied to language. What are some common conversations that you have that you can script and rehearse?Practice is the key to all language acquisition, but you don't always have someone to practice with. Also, if you are suffering from anxiety, you may not have the nerve and motivation to practice with another person. A way to practice on your own is to narrate your activities. When you are getting dressed in the morning, try saying the steps out loud, like "I'm going to take a shower" and "I'm putting on my shirt".Sometimes identifying what triggers your anxiety can be a big step in controlling it. Try and keep a journal of when you feel anxious. Is it a certain person that makes you nervous? Is it a certain situation?What I am going to teach you here is the fact that there is a physical reason for our feeling frightened when put into a position to speak in public. That reason is our body's perception that speaking in front of others is a "threatening situation" that demands the over-creation of adrenalin. And it is the over-creation of adrenalin that gives us our symptoms of feeling frightened.
In medical terminologies, public speaking anxiety is referred to as "glossophobia." It is a very common reported type of social fears. It is actually normal that you will experience nervousness during your presentation or speech. However, in the case of a person with a Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), your feeling of anxiety during public speaking will take out and control your life. You will worry too much a few weeks to months before the date of your speech or presentation. On the day of the presentation, you will suffer from intense physical symptoms of anxiety such as pounding heart, blushing, inability to breathe, and quivering voice. These symptoms result from the flight or fight response of your body. There is a sudden release of adrenaline that prepares you for a sudden threat of danger. At this moment, you will experience loss of body control.
Short-Term Treatments of Glossophobia.If this condition interferes in your life, it can be diagnosed as under the category of SAD. Fortunately, fear of public speaking can be managed easily. Short-term treatment includes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and systematic desensitization. On the other hand, if you have a public speaking anxiety that causes you to experience significant distress, you need to ask a doctor for possible referrals to a psychologist. In addition to numerous traditional ,Many people feel very anxious when they are asked to speak publicly. Anxiety is a perfectly normal reaction to stressful situations, but for some, public speaking can cause more than just a fleeting anxiety attack. Learn some techniques to overcome normal and more serious feelings of anxiety.The famous author was due to deliver a short speech at a Women's Institute meeting. Now although he was very good with words when they were written down, he was not so confident with the spoken word. In fact, he was always quite anxious about making a speech.
One more thing - you do not have to take the medication I will recommend here forever. It is only necessary during the period of time that you are re-training your brain to understand that speaking in public is not a threatening situation and therefore it doesn't have to create an over-abundance of adrenaline in order to survive THEREFORE, THE MEDICATION IS REALLY A "TRAINING AID", NOT A "CRUTCH".Speaking in public is the No. 1 fear of Americans. It surpasses our fear of losing our jobs, losing our relationships and, believe it or not, people write in surveys they fear public speaking even more than death (although I suspect that given a true life and death situation, they could muster the courage to give a little speech).Because speaking in public opens the opportunity for us to be judged by others in a very personal way more so than any other activity we do in life. And it is this fear of being judged that creates anxiety that can be paralyzing at times. Simply put, many of us have a fear of looking foolish, of being laughed at, of making a mistake, of being vulnerable.
That was exactly my problem. For many years my fear of speaking in public kept me from advancement in my company because even though I was very competent in my field (in fact, more competent than many of my peers), I was perceived as not being as competent as those that could speak more authoritatively than I. It got so bad I had difficulty participating effectively in large meetings where I was an expert in the discussion area. I had to do something or my career, and my life for that matter, was going to be mediocre, at best and, at worst, a dismal failure.My background was research and so I began to investigate the causes of my inordinate fear to speak in public.Simply put - what I found changed my life forever and it will change yours too.When it comes to public speaking, there are several categories of people:About 5% of the population do not fear speaking in public at all and actually look forward to it in many cases. Another 10% are apprehensive to speak in public, but do not have a real fear of it.However, the vast majority of us (about 80%) have a mild to serious fear of speaking in public; we don't do it unless we have to and we tend to minimize the opportunities to speak in public if at all possible;
About a week before the speech try to build up a positive image of yourself giving the speech really well. 'See' yourself standing confidently and relaxed in front of your audience. 'See' the audience listening intently to you and laughing naturally at your jokes. 'Listen' to the applause after the speech is finished. Do this several times a day for a week or so before the day of your speech.Now that you have done your preparation in the lead up to speech day, you can concentrate on helping yourself on the day.Relaxation techniques such as breathing deeply and slowly in and out as you are being introduced can be very good for putting your body at ease. Something else to try at the same time might be to tighten and slowly relax various muscle groups. Not necessarily in any order these might include; the thigh muscles, calf muscles, the muscles in your arms, shoulders and back. This should relieve any tension in your body so that you can concentrate on your delivery.
How many times have you heard someone talk and you feel lost? Once you know the material, you need to organize it in a coherent way. Ask yourself, what is the goal of my speech? Make sure you present your material in an organized way (beginning, middle and end). This process gives you a map that if lost, can help you find your way back. With practice, if you forget what you where saying will help you gather your thoughts and know where you were.
During a one-to-one conversation it's important to make eye-contact with the person you're having a conversation with. If you are too nervous or too shy to do this directly, a good technique to give the impression of 'eye-contact' is to look at the bridge of the nose of the person you are talking to. For them, it will look as though you're looking straight at their eyes. Try it with a friend. It works.Making 'eye-contact' with your audience is equally important. You can do this and still keep your composure by looking at the heads of individuals. Scan the audience as you speak, but instead of looking directly at their faces, look at the tops of their heads. This will give the impression of direct eye-contact with members of the audience without it being unpleasant for you.These techniques are useful for those people who have the normal feelings of anxiety that the majority of people have before delivering a speech. However, if your anxieties go deeper and are felt for much longer both before and after delivery of the speech, then there are extra helpful techniques that can be tried.
During the week leading up to the speech, try to imagine any negative thoughts you might have about giving the speech. Write down as many as you can, without thinking about anything else. Then go through your list and make a positive story to counteract each negative thought you wrote down. Add to your list as and when you think of other negative thoughts you might have.On the day of your speech, try to make sure that you counteract any negative thoughts you might have with the positive stories you made up in the week before speech day.Before going on stage, while waiting in the special room allocated to you if you have one, or maybe outside away from other people if you don't, you could try to explain away the 'butterflies' that we all have. Emphasise, for example, that they are not something emotional like being 'scared to death'. They are actually a physical reaction brought about by your brain's response to the stress that it detects. When someone is anxious the brain releases additional amounts of a chemical called adrenalin into the blood stream. This has the physical effect of making the stomach contract and interferes with digestion.
Finally, have a conversation with the audience. When presenters tend to read from visual aids or cards, they are disengaged from the audience. Remember that your speech is not about you, it is about the audience. You are giving them something, a message. Engage them with a conversation. This approach will be and feel more natural. More importantly, it will help you reduce anxiety.Public Speaking is something we all have to do at some point. The more we do it, the easier it will be for you. Remember that it won't be perfect every time, but with practice you will become much better. The goal is not to get rid of the anxiety, but to learn to control it.
It's critically important to feel comfortable with the people around you, particularly when you are learning. Make sure you have a teacher who is supportive and helpful. If not, find a new one.Role playing is one of the most helpful things you can do to reduce your speaking anxiety. As I mentioned in item one, speaking a foreign language is like having to present constantly. When I have to give a presentation at work, I prepare extensively to help me feel more comfortable, including scripting and rehearsing it as many times as I can. The same steps can be applied to language. What are some common conversations that you have that you can script and rehearse?Practice is the key to all language acquisition, but you don't always have someone to practice with. Also, if you are suffering from anxiety, you may not have the nerve and motivation to practice with another person. A way to practice on your own is to narrate your activities. When you are getting dressed in the morning, try saying the steps out loud, like "I'm going to take a shower" and "I'm putting on my shirt".Sometimes identifying what triggers your anxiety can be a big step in controlling it. Try and keep a journal of when you feel anxious. Is it a certain person that makes you nervous? Is it a certain situation?What I am going to teach you here is the fact that there is a physical reason for our feeling frightened when put into a position to speak in public. That reason is our body's perception that speaking in front of others is a "threatening situation" that demands the over-creation of adrenalin. And it is the over-creation of adrenalin that gives us our symptoms of feeling frightened.
In medical terminologies, public speaking anxiety is referred to as "glossophobia." It is a very common reported type of social fears. It is actually normal that you will experience nervousness during your presentation or speech. However, in the case of a person with a Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), your feeling of anxiety during public speaking will take out and control your life. You will worry too much a few weeks to months before the date of your speech or presentation. On the day of the presentation, you will suffer from intense physical symptoms of anxiety such as pounding heart, blushing, inability to breathe, and quivering voice. These symptoms result from the flight or fight response of your body. There is a sudden release of adrenaline that prepares you for a sudden threat of danger. At this moment, you will experience loss of body control.
Short-Term Treatments of Glossophobia.If this condition interferes in your life, it can be diagnosed as under the category of SAD. Fortunately, fear of public speaking can be managed easily. Short-term treatment includes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and systematic desensitization. On the other hand, if you have a public speaking anxiety that causes you to experience significant distress, you need to ask a doctor for possible referrals to a psychologist. In addition to numerous traditional ,Many people feel very anxious when they are asked to speak publicly. Anxiety is a perfectly normal reaction to stressful situations, but for some, public speaking can cause more than just a fleeting anxiety attack. Learn some techniques to overcome normal and more serious feelings of anxiety.The famous author was due to deliver a short speech at a Women's Institute meeting. Now although he was very good with words when they were written down, he was not so confident with the spoken word. In fact, he was always quite anxious about making a speech.
One more thing - you do not have to take the medication I will recommend here forever. It is only necessary during the period of time that you are re-training your brain to understand that speaking in public is not a threatening situation and therefore it doesn't have to create an over-abundance of adrenaline in order to survive THEREFORE, THE MEDICATION IS REALLY A "TRAINING AID", NOT A "CRUTCH".Speaking in public is the No. 1 fear of Americans. It surpasses our fear of losing our jobs, losing our relationships and, believe it or not, people write in surveys they fear public speaking even more than death (although I suspect that given a true life and death situation, they could muster the courage to give a little speech).Because speaking in public opens the opportunity for us to be judged by others in a very personal way more so than any other activity we do in life. And it is this fear of being judged that creates anxiety that can be paralyzing at times. Simply put, many of us have a fear of looking foolish, of being laughed at, of making a mistake, of being vulnerable.
That was exactly my problem. For many years my fear of speaking in public kept me from advancement in my company because even though I was very competent in my field (in fact, more competent than many of my peers), I was perceived as not being as competent as those that could speak more authoritatively than I. It got so bad I had difficulty participating effectively in large meetings where I was an expert in the discussion area. I had to do something or my career, and my life for that matter, was going to be mediocre, at best and, at worst, a dismal failure.My background was research and so I began to investigate the causes of my inordinate fear to speak in public.Simply put - what I found changed my life forever and it will change yours too.When it comes to public speaking, there are several categories of people:About 5% of the population do not fear speaking in public at all and actually look forward to it in many cases. Another 10% are apprehensive to speak in public, but do not have a real fear of it.However, the vast majority of us (about 80%) have a mild to serious fear of speaking in public; we don't do it unless we have to and we tend to minimize the opportunities to speak in public if at all possible;
About a week before the speech try to build up a positive image of yourself giving the speech really well. 'See' yourself standing confidently and relaxed in front of your audience. 'See' the audience listening intently to you and laughing naturally at your jokes. 'Listen' to the applause after the speech is finished. Do this several times a day for a week or so before the day of your speech.Now that you have done your preparation in the lead up to speech day, you can concentrate on helping yourself on the day.Relaxation techniques such as breathing deeply and slowly in and out as you are being introduced can be very good for putting your body at ease. Something else to try at the same time might be to tighten and slowly relax various muscle groups. Not necessarily in any order these might include; the thigh muscles, calf muscles, the muscles in your arms, shoulders and back. This should relieve any tension in your body so that you can concentrate on your delivery.
How many times have you heard someone talk and you feel lost? Once you know the material, you need to organize it in a coherent way. Ask yourself, what is the goal of my speech? Make sure you present your material in an organized way (beginning, middle and end). This process gives you a map that if lost, can help you find your way back. With practice, if you forget what you where saying will help you gather your thoughts and know where you were.
During a one-to-one conversation it's important to make eye-contact with the person you're having a conversation with. If you are too nervous or too shy to do this directly, a good technique to give the impression of 'eye-contact' is to look at the bridge of the nose of the person you are talking to. For them, it will look as though you're looking straight at their eyes. Try it with a friend. It works.Making 'eye-contact' with your audience is equally important. You can do this and still keep your composure by looking at the heads of individuals. Scan the audience as you speak, but instead of looking directly at their faces, look at the tops of their heads. This will give the impression of direct eye-contact with members of the audience without it being unpleasant for you.These techniques are useful for those people who have the normal feelings of anxiety that the majority of people have before delivering a speech. However, if your anxieties go deeper and are felt for much longer both before and after delivery of the speech, then there are extra helpful techniques that can be tried.
During the week leading up to the speech, try to imagine any negative thoughts you might have about giving the speech. Write down as many as you can, without thinking about anything else. Then go through your list and make a positive story to counteract each negative thought you wrote down. Add to your list as and when you think of other negative thoughts you might have.On the day of your speech, try to make sure that you counteract any negative thoughts you might have with the positive stories you made up in the week before speech day.Before going on stage, while waiting in the special room allocated to you if you have one, or maybe outside away from other people if you don't, you could try to explain away the 'butterflies' that we all have. Emphasise, for example, that they are not something emotional like being 'scared to death'. They are actually a physical reaction brought about by your brain's response to the stress that it detects. When someone is anxious the brain releases additional amounts of a chemical called adrenalin into the blood stream. This has the physical effect of making the stomach contract and interferes with digestion.
Finally, have a conversation with the audience. When presenters tend to read from visual aids or cards, they are disengaged from the audience. Remember that your speech is not about you, it is about the audience. You are giving them something, a message. Engage them with a conversation. This approach will be and feel more natural. More importantly, it will help you reduce anxiety.Public Speaking is something we all have to do at some point. The more we do it, the easier it will be for you. Remember that it won't be perfect every time, but with practice you will become much better. The goal is not to get rid of the anxiety, but to learn to control it.
No comments:
Post a Comment