Public speaking will increasingly become a part of our lives, as we proceed through graduate school and subsequently in our teaching career. Sharing our research and findings with colleagues, peers, and students often mandate that we speak in front of an audience. Upon giving a public speech, most of us will feel our heart beating faster, our mouth getting dry, and some may even feel nauseous. Some will feel calm when they start to speak, but for many of us, once we start the presentation, we may hear our voice tremble followed by our legs and body starting to shake. We may even stutter or speak rapidly, rambling through the material without much attention to effective speaking. Such an experience might be a cause of fear and anxiety for many of us.

Hence, we want to share the following tips for overcoming the fear of public speaking. Learning to be comfortable with speaking will assist you in having an invigorating and satisfying experience when presenting research, teaching, or addressing other constituencies.

Be Well-Prepared
When you are well-prepared, the chances of making mistakes will be greatly reduced. You should know your material very well; not so much in memorizing all your notes and speech, but you need to have a good outline including the facts and figures which you intend to talk about. You should also check the conditions under which you will be speaking. If you are using an overhead projector or other forms of presentation equipment, preview the space early to check the equipment and assess the room condition. This will help you prepare for the presentation.

Practice
Ideally, you should practice your presentation as many times as possible before giving it, even if you feel that you already know your material very well. As you practice, the flow of the presentation becomes smoother and more natural. You will also feel more confident about your ability to give the presentation. You can start by practicing alone and out loud. This will commit the material to your memory more effectively. Practicing in front of a mirror will allow you to see how you look when speaking and allow you to practice maintaining eye-contact with the audience. Once you are comfortable, try and get a group of friends together and practice in front of them. This will give you a feel of a real presentation situation. When you practice, remember to structure your presentation within the prescribed time limit (usually 10-20 minutes for conferences).

Prepare a Backup
One of the main worries during a presentation is forgetting what you are going to say next. Hence, it is important to prepare an organization outline. This may be in the form of note cards or cue cards which should be numbered and in a sequential order that you are familiar and comfortable with. In situations of mental lapse, your anxiety level will be reduced as you know you can take a glance at your notes to get back on track. However, do remember not to read word for word from your note cards like a script.

Reduce Your Fear of the Audience
It is very natural to fear the audience during the presentation. The more important you perceive the audience to be, the more anxious and nervous you will become. Convince yourself that the audience is on your side. Think of them as being caring and friendly people who want to hear about your research and findings. Such positive imaging should help you relax and present your work smoothly.

Project Confidence
With ample preparation and practice, you should be able to project an air of confidence when you speak. Acting confident, even when you are feeling nervous, will actually make you feel more competent as you progress through your presentation. Start by speaking loudly and slowly. Stand up straight, try not to lean on the podium and make appropriate eye contact with your audience. Project a sense of enthusiasm about your research. Dress appropriately and professionally. Dressing the part demonstrates that you take yourself and the presentation seriously. Do your best to refrain from giggling, as this may signal frivolity and nervousness.

Relax Before Your Presentation
No matter how much preparation you have done, relaxing before your presentation is easier said than done. However there are still strategies you can consider to get rid of some of the anxiety. Avoid caffeine and try to have decaffeinated tea or other drinks (non-alcohol) that relax you. Do simple stretching exercises before your presentation to relax tense muscles. Close your eyes and visualize yourself giving the presentation and everything going well. When you are introduced to speak, take deep breaths to settle your breathing before you walk up to the stage. Once up there, thank the person who introduced you and then count to ten silently before you start to speak. This will give the audience some time to settle down and get ready to listen to your presentation.

We hope the above tips will help reduce some of the fear and anxiety of public speaking as you prepare for the upcoming ICA conference in Chicago. Good luck and we look forward to seeing all of you soon at ICA 2009!

References

Kurtus, R. (2001). Overcome the Fear of Speaking to Groups. Retrieved 12 April, 2009, from http://www.school-for-champions.com/speaking/fear.htm

Rockler-Gladen, N. (2007). Fear of Public Speaking - Overcome speech anxiety in your public speaking class. Retrieved 12 April, 2009, from http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/fear_of_public_speaking