FOR HENRY: Read attachments. Write 200 words reflection
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how_to_reduce_your_public_speaking_anxiety.docxHow to Reduce Your Public Speaking Anxiety
Anxiety will interfere with your ability to be comfortable, confidence and charismatic, and often times it comes from our threat of perceive social rejection. We are fearful that if someone knows us that they will reject us. Furthermore, we don’t want another to think of us as stupid. This self-defeating thinking get is our way and shows up in the body. The following is a list to help you think and reduce your anxiety so you can enjoy presenting.
1. Re-frame the experience. Do NOT dwell in the uncertainty, but instead focus your mind on the phrase “It’s just a conversation.” Whether it’s a conversation of one-on-one or one-to-many, it’s still simply a conversation. Think that way.
3. Be careful of the ‘imposter syndrome.’ The thoughts say tell you that you don’t have anything of value to offer – that you do not belong in this situation. By being in the situation, you have something to offer.
4. Manage your body. When our threat response is activated, our biology is to funnel energy to prepare us to fight or flight. Therefore energy goes out of our brains and into our arms and legs. This is biology. To quiet the threat response, breathe deep and tell yourself that you are safe, that you are prepared, that you are worthy, and that the audience is for you. Additionally, know that the threat response is often at its height at the beginning of the talk; therefore, plan an audience activity in the beginning to give yourself a moments break, or perhaps take a sip of water. Just a little moment will help.
5. Prepare more information that you need. In the moment of execution, you will forget to say some information and other information. No worries. Nobody but you knows of your change. Enjoy it. Don’t be thrown-off by the change. Go with the flow.
6. Practice. Practice. Practice. Your brain has difficulty distinguishing imagination and reality. Use this strategy to make the uncertain certain. It will reduce your anxiety.
7. When you practice, spend more time on the introduction. Polish it to perfection and you’ll feel confident.
8. Practice with the technology. Go early to your facility, if possible.
9. Practice on your feet. Practice saying the words out-loud – not just in your head. Hearing your voice needs not to be a surprise to you.
10. Practice to know how long the talk takes. You need to know how your are progressing to you intention.
11. Before the talk, bond with the audience. Smile, say hello, shake hands – if possible, and perhaps do a little small talk. The bonding produces a brain chemical call Oxytocin which is our bonding human energy. When you feel more connection, you’ll feel less anxiety.
12. Move around. Give the jitters somewhere to go.
13. Be sure you have dressed comfortably – which includes your clothing and in the cultural conventions of the event. Wear shoes that feel good.
14. During the presentation find the audience member who is smiling at you or one who is nodding in agreement. Talk more towards that person to reduce your anxiety. Believe that your audience is for you.
15. Change your emotions. Change your energy. You can do this in the moment you decide to. Just think back to a moment, when an uncomfortable moment was happening in your home and a knock came upon the door. You immediately don’t want the visitor to see your uncomfortable conversation energy, so your immediately put on a happy face. Again, I tell you that you can change your energy in a moment.
16. If you make a mistake during the presentation, do not draw attention to your mistake as they only causes the audience to remember it.
17. If you use a handout or a sample during the talk, be sure you have a chaos strategy, as this will cause chaos in the room regardless of whether you had it out in the beginning, the middle or the end.
As Jeffrey Schwartz, a research psychiatrist at UCLA School of Medicine says, “You are not your brain.”
