How to Slay Public Speaking Anxiety
By Marti MacGibbon
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is resistance to fear.
Courage is the conscious decision to move through fear toward an objective.
Inventors who seek to push their products to commercialization face fears on many fronts, not the least of which is marketing or selling an idea to a prospective buyer or licensor. When it comes to presentations, be it at trade shows or board rooms, effect public speaking can spell the difference between success and failure.
A friend of mine, we’ll call him James, is a supervisor who works at a medium-sized professional firm. He is frequently called upon to do presentations to staff and clients, but makes every effort to avoid these speaking opportunities.
James suffers from fear of public speaking, but will not admit it, even to himself. He chooses to bury the fear in denial. When on rare occasions he is forced to speak before a group, he dreads it, and suffers immeasurably before, during, and after the event.
For this reason, James enlists his colleague, let’s call him Anthony, to do his presentations for him whenever possible.
James admires Anthony and wishes he could address an audience with the apparent ease and confidence that Anthony demonstrates, but, as James inwardly struggles with his fear, it seems to grow stronger. He wonders how Anthony does it. James often congratulates Anthony on staying cool under pressure, saying, “Anthony, you’re fearless!”
Anthony uses actions to manage his fears and build courage daily. Anyone, including inventors and our friend James, can do them and get results. Here are four that are easy to use and can be implemented daily:
Acknowledge and Examine
Denial of fear increases anxiety and compounds the problem.
The unknown is always feared, so examining the fear can begin to dispel it.
Find a quiet place in your mind and examine the fear or anxiety. It’s helpful to write down all the things that come to mind as you contemplate the situation, for example, an upcoming speaking presentation.
Tell yourself that it’s OK to have this fear. There is nothing wrong with you because you feel this fear. And you are not alone in experiencing your fear. Experts agree that fear of public speaking is one of the most common, if not the most common, phobias in modern society. So, you’re not alone.
As you think it over, ask yourself, does this fear remind me of a past experience? Did I establish this fear as a child? Maybe a parent or a person in authority impressed the fear on you during your formative years. Some fears are learned — and they can be unlearned.
Take Action
Taking action through fear can be thrilling, self-empowering, energizing, and, well, a whole lot of fun – even if you’re scared and anxious beforehand.
But this is true only when you’re prepared for it. In public speaking, preparation involves research, considering the audience and situation, tailoring material accordingly, and rehearsing. More important, prepare your mind. Access the spirit, energy, and passion of your mission or message. Ask yourself what you’re bringing to others.
Using public speaking as an example, ask yourself if you are approaching your audience with respect – do you want them to benefit from this – or are you only worried about your ego? Are you speaking from the heart? Will you allow yourself to have fun with this challenge? What do you love about your message, this speaking opportunity and your audience?
Prepare by feeling good, because it’s how you feel inside that trumps the fear.
Feel the Love
Love crushes fear. If you fill yourself with love and good feelings, there’s no room for fear. Enthusiasm, passion and fun – the very things that motivate many inventors – are contagious.
When you allow yourself to experience passion for a cause, you’re empowered to trample fears and anxieties in pursuit of that cause.
Likewise, when you transfer your focus from your own solitary ambition to thinking about and appreciating family, friends, and the good you bring to them, you’ll find you can boldly face your fears. Courage begins building momentum.
Stay in the moment
When living in the moment, not regretting the past or fearing the future, you are set free.
Fear is always forward – fear of the unknown, the myriad “what ifs” that multiply anxieties about what is to come.
When you let go of everything but the present moment, creativity and joy are released so any challenge can be faced. Realize you are the sum of all your experiences to date, and choose to love who you are today.
Armed with this attitude, it’s exciting to move through fear.
Let’s return to Anthony. All of his associates and subordinates describe him as “fearless.” His staff loves to work with and for him — they feel buoyed by his upbeat attitude and aura of strength and fun.
But Anthony is not immune to fear — he has fears, and like many others he is aware of the climate of anxiety that pervades the present economic situation.
But Anthony is a person of courage. He realizes that if we neglect to take action against fear it can take on a life of its own.
He knows that fear is an energy drain. For this reason, Anthony uses every opportunity, including public speaking, to acknowledge his fears and take action against them.
In so doing, he inspires himself and others to meet myriad challenges. Anthony is determined never to allow himself to be paralyzed by stress and anxiety over speaking, the future, or anything else.
Anthony knows that courage is not the absence of fear — it is the presence of a willingness to resist — he daily reminds himself to never give in to fear.
Editor’s note: This article appears in the January 2011 print edition.
Not a subscriber!? Click here now!
