Talking in public is too stressful
Many people feel nervous when speaking in public, ranging from rapid heartbeat, red face, trembling hands and feet, to a blank brain, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Talking in public is too stressful
Talking in public is too stressful
No matter how capable and well-prepared you are, if you can't show yourself in front of your team and leaders, your talents are likely to be mercilessly buried.
Many people think that this kind of nervousness comes from character, and there is no cure. But in fact, as long as you exercise more in the right way, this emotion can be controlled!
Bertrand Périer, a professor of French speech arts, explained in detail in his book how to overcome nervousness in speeches. Let's learn together~
- Don’t be afraid to be observed
Speaking in public means first and foremost that you will be in the public eye. Some studies have shown that the persuasiveness of what a person says depends 60% on body language, 30% on the tone of voice, and only 10% on the words themselves.
"A speaker is first 'seen', then 'heard', and finally 'understood'," Périer said. "In fact, speech begins the moment the speaker appears in public."
No one wants to see a speaker shivering like he is tied to the gallows, so no matter how scared you are, you should try to adjust your breathing to look more confident.
- Change your posture according to the situation
Before the speech begins, you should fix yourself in one position, with your chest up and your legs apart, level with your shoulders. This position is the most stable.
Talking in public is too stressful
Talking in public is too stressful
If you are standing behind a podium, place your hands naturally on the corners of the table.
If you are sitting on a chair, you should sit about a third of the way, not filling the entire chair, because "this way, the body will naturally approach the table. Hands should be placed where others can see place, because if you hide your hands, it makes it feel like you're trying to hide something and you're not being honest enough. When body language is active, the hands should also make some gestures naturally, otherwise it will appear stiff and not fully Express oneself."
- Make full use of the power of eyes
"The power of a speaker is in his gaze, and looking directly at the audience draws more attention."
If you're talking to a small group of people, you should take turns making eye contact with each of them in a random fashion, not just staring at one person.
If you have a large audience, the solution is simple, you just need to find a spot in the back of the room and keep your eyes on that spot.
Also, if you are speaking in a semi-circular classroom, then your eyes should scan from left to right, top to bottom, and back and forth.
- Manage emotions and overcome shyness
When a person speaks in public, nervousness and excitement may suddenly strike at any moment, which is unavoidable.
Talking in public is too stressful
Talking in public is too stressful
But we can learn how to suppress this emotion and not let it disrupt our speeches.
First of all, Professor Périer advises us to relax our minds, not to over-interpret the reactions of the audience, and not to worry about whether the audience agrees with our point of view, let alone fear that they will judge us.
If you really can't hide your emotions, it's better to admit to your audience that you're nervous and share your emotions with them.
In short, shyness can be overcome.
- Face your anxiety
Exposing oneself to the eyes of others is very easy to induce anxiety, and in Périer's view, this emotion arises mainly because the speaker is worried that his abilities do not meet his expectations of himself. Anxiety cannot be eliminated, but we can learn to manage it.
Périer advises us to review in our minds what we are about to say, especially the beginning and end, before the speech begins.
Being familiar with the content and rhythm of a speech can help us build confidence and become more at ease.
- Organize your thoughts
Even if we're improvising, our speech should be methodical. Périer believes: “We should organize our speeches better and guide the audience step by step to understand our topic.”
First of all, the topic we talk about should be as interesting as possible to arouse the curiosity of the audience. Even if this is not possible, let the audience resonate and like our topic.
It's best to start your speech by talking about some of the stronger topics. This way we can grab the audience's attention quickly and make our speech more persuasive.
Talking in public is too stressful
Talking in public is too stressful
In addition, Périer also emphasized that "it is not enough to justify what we say. We have to prove that those who contradict our views are wrong, and we have to dismantle the opponent's arguments one by one."
Closing remarks should serve two functions: one is to summarize the rationality of our topic, and the other is to clearly tell the audience that my speech is over.
People with good eloquence are more likely to be recognized by others, whether in the workplace or in life. I hope everyone can overcome their nervousness and be calm and talkative in public.