Overcoming your fear of public speaking
I still get nervous before I present or speak in front of a group of people. Good nerves. When I shared I was nervous before a presentation when I was working at Qantas my boss said "Good, at least I know you care".
That was a long time after my first big presentation after graduating from university. At that time, I was presenting to a group of about 120 clients about a new piece of legislation called Superannuation Guarantee Levy. I was extremely nervous. I was dressed in a navy blue straight skirt and a cream and navy Chanel style jacket (definitely not Chanel on my pay!). I was really nervous and for the forty minutes of my presentation a muscle in my butt went into spasm...I don’t mean an occasional flutter. It was series of contractions! Two senior partners were sitting behind me and I was mortified when they shared their amusement at my visible terror.
Over the next few years I tried to avoid speaking in public, but realised that if I was going to work in business I needed to improve my speaking and presentation skills or I would really hold myself back. So when I joined a surf life saving club and achieved my Bronze Medallion, I started helping the Chief Instructor to teach classes of "bronzies". I had to stand up in front of people and teach them to become lifesavers. Eventually I became the Chief Instructor and had to inspire people to become instructors. I started reading about leadership and presentation skills and used my surf life saving roles as an opportunity to practice.
One year during my performance review, my boss asked me if there was something he could do to support my development. I didn't hesitate - I wanted to go to NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, and do their corporate performance course. He agreed. I was terrified when I arrived at the course a few months later and recognised I was a very long way out of my comfort zone. I recently read a quote which resonated strongly with me and reminded me of that experience - "there's no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone" (unknown author).
I grew that week. Big awkward to watch kind of growth. I was filmed while I spoke. It was replayed and critiqued by my class mates. I walked like a duck. Became the mask that looked like an alien. Danced the tango with a man I didn't know. It was horrible. I went home every night exhausted and returned the next morning scared about what surprises the instructors had in store for us that day. By the end of the week, I walked away knowing two things for certain. Even if I did a terrible job with a presentation I wouldn't kill someone. My presentations were not life and death; I wasn't a brain surgeon or teaching them. And the more I practiced the better my presentations were. I learnt to take myself off for a walk in the morning when I needed to speak publically and I practiced out loud. I tweaked the words I spoke so they did not have unintended meaning. I learnt language and words were powerful. More recently I took a short test created by Nancy Duarte and
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (HBR) to see where I sat on the fear spectrum and found my fear was no greater or less than others. You can see how you rate https://hbr.org/2016/11/assessment-whats-feeding-your-fear-of-public-speaking
The feedback I receive now is that I seem natural and relaxed when I speak in public. On the inside it doesn’t feel that way, but I'm now not terrified to the point of visible shaking.
So my top 8 tips for speaking in public are:
If you want to become more comfortable presenting or speaking in public, you can overcome your fear just as I did. And remember to smile :-)
That was a long time after my first big presentation after graduating from university. At that time, I was presenting to a group of about 120 clients about a new piece of legislation called Superannuation Guarantee Levy. I was extremely nervous. I was dressed in a navy blue straight skirt and a cream and navy Chanel style jacket (definitely not Chanel on my pay!). I was really nervous and for the forty minutes of my presentation a muscle in my butt went into spasm...I don’t mean an occasional flutter. It was series of contractions! Two senior partners were sitting behind me and I was mortified when they shared their amusement at my visible terror.
Over the next few years I tried to avoid speaking in public, but realised that if I was going to work in business I needed to improve my speaking and presentation skills or I would really hold myself back. So when I joined a surf life saving club and achieved my Bronze Medallion, I started helping the Chief Instructor to teach classes of "bronzies". I had to stand up in front of people and teach them to become lifesavers. Eventually I became the Chief Instructor and had to inspire people to become instructors. I started reading about leadership and presentation skills and used my surf life saving roles as an opportunity to practice.
One year during my performance review, my boss asked me if there was something he could do to support my development. I didn't hesitate - I wanted to go to NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, and do their corporate performance course. He agreed. I was terrified when I arrived at the course a few months later and recognised I was a very long way out of my comfort zone. I recently read a quote which resonated strongly with me and reminded me of that experience - "there's no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone" (unknown author).
I grew that week. Big awkward to watch kind of growth. I was filmed while I spoke. It was replayed and critiqued by my class mates. I walked like a duck. Became the mask that looked like an alien. Danced the tango with a man I didn't know. It was horrible. I went home every night exhausted and returned the next morning scared about what surprises the instructors had in store for us that day. By the end of the week, I walked away knowing two things for certain. Even if I did a terrible job with a presentation I wouldn't kill someone. My presentations were not life and death; I wasn't a brain surgeon or teaching them. And the more I practiced the better my presentations were. I learnt to take myself off for a walk in the morning when I needed to speak publically and I practiced out loud. I tweaked the words I spoke so they did not have unintended meaning. I learnt language and words were powerful. More recently I took a short test created by Nancy Duarte and
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (HBR) to see where I sat on the fear spectrum and found my fear was no greater or less than others. You can see how you rate https://hbr.org/2016/11/assessment-whats-feeding-your-fear-of-public-speaking
The feedback I receive now is that I seem natural and relaxed when I speak in public. On the inside it doesn’t feel that way, but I'm now not terrified to the point of visible shaking.
So my top 8 tips for speaking in public are:
- Prepare - as a rule of thumb you should dedicate twenty times the length of your actual presentation to get yourself ready for it. Research your topic. Find a relevant quote. Read up on the subject – read differing points of view. Work out what you believe and why.
- Practice - write out what you want to say. Say it out loud. Practice in front of people who will give you honest feedback. Be prepared to receive criticism. My partner and kids are really good at this....and it is hard sometimes not to feel a little bruised by their help. Listen and don't get defensive - they are trying to help you! Make the most of opportunities to practice. Every time you are offered an opportunity to speak, put in a good effort and give it a cracking go. Don't be lazy.
- Be yourself and share something that is real and relatable. Tell your audience a story. Help them become an advocate for your idea, get them to imagine what it was like for you in that situation.
- Focus on your audience. What's in it for them? What do you want them to remember and feel because they listened to you? Is it knowing something new, being inspired to act or giving hope? Be clear about your message.
- Smile. You will feel better and your audience will relax with you.
- Breathe. Deep slow breaths. Or do whatever works for you to take yourself to your happy place so you relax (enough) so you can do a great job. I start with a familiar, easy to remember anchoring statement every time I speak. "Good evening my name is Suzanne Young and I'm delighted to be here". It is OK to be nervous and many times I have wanted to run away before I present. Yes, even recently! Remember tip number one? Become an expert on your topic. Your audience deserve to hear what you have discovered.
- Save the one drink (of alcohol) you want to have before you speak for after you have smashed your presentation out of the park.
- Be generous. Your audience are giving you their attention. Give it back tenfold through your smile, eye contact, enthusiasm and energy.
If you want to become more comfortable presenting or speaking in public, you can overcome your fear just as I did. And remember to smile :-)
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