Fear of public speaking phobia name. Aspects Affecting Public Fear

Every person has had to speak in public at least once - some have a professional obligation associated with this, for example, teachers, politicians, artists, managers, lawyers. Now there is even a separate specialty - speaker.

According to statistics from psychologists, The level of stage fright is so developed that it affects about 95% of the entire population. Fear public speaking is one of the most common fears, which causes a lot of inconvenience and also worsens a person’s condition. Let's look at how to overcome fear of speaking and what treatment modern medicine offers.

Description of the phobia

The fear of public speaking is called medical term glossophobia, and in some cases it actually needs to be treated. This fear of public speaking was familiar to many outstanding people. Among the celebrities who were afraid of the stage were Faina Ranevskaya, musician Glenn Gould, and singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

For many, the fear of speaking in front of an audience becomes a serious stress blow, in which the lack of any treatment and proper therapy leads to the development of a full-fledged mental disorder and social phobia.

Under the influence of fear, a person develops so-called defensive behavior. This behavior helps to get rid of stress only at first, and if the problem is not solved in the future, the person cannot cope with fear and defensive behavior becomes his normal daily pattern.

This behavior begins to interfere with personal and career growth, creates mental problems and a distorted perception of reality.

That is why fear of speaking should be recognized at the initial stages; you should not be afraid to seek the help of a specialist, who will determine in each individual case how not to be afraid to speak.

Typical and atypical fear

Let's consider how the phobia manifests itself, since it is impossible to overcome the fear of public speaking without accurately identifying the pathology. In addition to glossophobia, there is another name - peiraphobia. It is worth distinguishing from the ordinary anxiety that a person experiences before speaking in front of an audience, and the pathological fear of public speaking.

The reaction is quite adequate when a person is nervous before an oral entrance exam, performing with a musical number. Among their friends, such people easily cope with fear and calmly demonstrate their talents.

Psychologists say that a little anxiety in front of the public has its advantages. Before an upcoming speech, a person concentrates his attention, becomes more collected and energetic, as a result, the course of any public performances is kept under control and goes well.

A person who suffers from stage fright experiences true fear both before and after the performance, in addition, he is afraid even after the end of the performance, and cannot cope with fear, even if he performed well.

Such fear remains in front of both unfamiliar and familiar audiences; it cannot be overcome, regardless of the number of listeners and the degree of familiarity with them.

Symptoms

The phobia may be caused for various reasons, but almost always causes the same symptoms. Before a performance, just seeing future listeners, a person instantly feels strong emotional tension.

The cerebral cortex, endocrine glands, and sympathetic system are activated, resulting in work internal organs changes in this way - muscles tense, facial expressions and gestures change, changes in speech are also observed that are difficult to cope with - changes in voice timbre, speed of speech.
The autonomic system responds with increased sweating, rapid heartbeat, and jumps blood pressure, headache and tightness in the chest.
When people are terrified of speaking, they experience dry mouth, trembling and confusion in the voice, a complete loss of the ability to speak clearly, and even involuntary urination.
Sometimes, with high nervous excitability, a person may even faint, and before that he feels nausea, weakness, dizziness, his skin becomes pale and covered with perspiration.

The strength of symptoms and the complex of symptoms is individual and depends on the characteristics of the person and his character, the state of the body and mood.

Reasons for developing a phobia

The main reasons for the development of this phobia lie in both genetic predisposition and social factors.

There is a genetic predisposition to certain types of fear, for example, social phobia, or congenital increased anxiety. A person constantly tries to meet certain standards, is afraid of being misunderstood and unaccepted, unfairly assessed, isolated from society. Among the hereditary characteristics are temperament, level of anxiety and emotional perception. Parents and children can be very similar in this, having the same fears.

The most serious, underlying causes of phobia are social conditions. The development of phobias is facilitated by overly strict upbringing, intimidation and threats from parents in childhood, and excessive sensitivity to the opinions of others.
Can also contribute to the development of a phobia negative assessment of their abilities and capabilities, negative experiences in childhood, which were subjected to strong criticism, distortion stressful situation and its exaggeration.
Pathology can develop due to low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence in front of listeners, poor preparation for a speech and lack of knowledge. Many people develop a phobia precisely because they have had very little performance experience.
On the other hand, glossophobia often arises against the background of a constant desire for perfection, often accompanies perfectionists and people who value public evaluation.

Coping methods

How to get rid of stage fright, and what treatment is indicated for such a pathology? Specialized help is necessary only when fear becomes panicky and neurotic, crossing all boundaries. In other cases, overcoming the fear of public speaking is possible with the help of auto-training.

The main ways to overcome stage fright lie, first of all, in recognizing this problem, and then in analyzing the reasons that led to the development of pathology. Then solutions are developed and tested in practice.

Eliminating the unknown factor

To overcome the fear of public speaking, you should get rid of the factor of the unknown of the audience sitting in front of you. Analyze why they gathered, what they expect from what they heard, and what kind of audience reaction you would like to receive. Analyzing the situation allows you to avoid the unknown and stop being afraid of people’s unknown reactions.

Eliminating illusions

Nervous arousal increases when a person concentrates on negative traits public. Such traits usually include skeptical smiles, disapproving gestures, inattention, and whispering during a speech.

You can change your own state by mentally empowering people positive qualities, paying attention not to the negative, but to positive traits– approving gestures, interested and attentive glances.

Another good way eliminate the illusion that everyone in the room is against you, concentrate on the positive result of the work done.

Planning your speech

One of the most important advice on how to overcome stage fright and how to cope with nervousness is careful preparation to the performance. Confidence in your own preparation and sufficiency of information allows you to relax somewhat and tune in to a high-quality performance.

For example, when preparing a report, you should first analyze and study the source data obtained from various authoritative sources. Then create a unique text and write down the main points of your report, make a speech plan– what to say and when. Choose strong arguments in your favor and do not lose sight of them throughout the entire report, anticipate possible questions and prepare answers to them.

Ways to overcome fear also lie in thorough rehearsal - to stop stuttering and stuttering during a speech, rehearse your report in front of a mirror, or read it to your loved ones. Since it is impossible to stop being afraid without some experience, rehearsing in front of those closest to you will be good training.

Recognition of imperfection

Before you fight your fears, accept the fact that the importance of other people can be greatly exaggerated. Do not attach excessive importance to criticism, skepticism and sarcasm, realize that everyone has the right to make a mistake. Also remember that even well-wishers can wishful thinking, therefore not a single opinion around can be the ultimate truth.

Learn techniques that increase self-esteem and self-esteem, feel your own worth and the uniqueness of your personality. You will also have to accept the fact that other individuals are just as unique and have the right to make mistakes just as much as you do.

Set yourself up for a positive outcome

You can effectively overcome fear if you focus on the process of achieving the goal, and not on the result. Record your actions in the present, as if looking at yourself from the outside, without exaggeration or understatement. Imagine positive aspects your time on stage - this will allow you to overcome fear and in the future get rid of it faster each time.

Treatment of the pathology may include physical activity, learning proper breathing techniques, training the left hemisphere of the brain, for example, working with mathematical calculations or other exact science. One of the pleasant ways to fight is to hum a favorite tune, meditate, and practice body posture to achieve more open and restrained positions.

A person’s life in society, one way or another, involves interaction with other people. Often this interaction is the need to speak in public. And it doesn't matter if you are politician, a theater artist and a 5th grade student who has to read a poem at a matinee - you may be overcome by fear, which will make your performance a failure.

There are several types of phobias associated with public speaking.

Logophobia (from the ancient Greek λόγος - word and φόβος - fear) is an obsessive fear of speech. Often this fear is inherent in people suffering from logoneurosis, that is, stuttering.
Peiraphobia (from the Greek peira - test) is an irrational fear of public speaking.
Glossophobia (from the ancient Greek γλῶσσα - language) - fear of the stage, of a large audience. According to experts, such fear is inherent in the vast majority of people.
Verbophobia is the fear of speaking specific words that cause stuttering. If a person has speech impediments, words with unpronounceable letters can cause panic.
Lalophobia is the fear of stuttering while speaking.

All these terms in some cases can be synonymous, however, there are still some differences. Fear of the public may be an appropriate reaction, because it is normal to feel nervous about a situation on which your reputation depends to some extent. If anxiety gains momentum and turns into a phobia, it’s worth thinking about.

The consequences of pathological fear, which causes a refusal to communicate with a small audience, can be sad. Avoidance public places, refusal of good work (if it requires speaking with the public), as a consequence of a drop in living standards and self-esteem. And then – a narrowing of the comfort zone to the closest people, the risk of addictions and mental problems.

All these consequences, of course, relate to anxiety-phobic disorder, and not ordinary stage fright.

I would like to note that most famous, professional and very experienced artists admit that they are afraid of going out to their audience. This is natural and is even considered an indicator that the artist continues to create art, and has not become a craftsman calmly carrying out his duties.

Reasons

The fear of public speaking is genetic and socially determined. Anxiety can be inherited from anxious parents. The character and temperament of a child is also formed as a result of genetic preconditions, thus, similar accentuations of a child and an adult provoke similar fears.

The social factor implies our acute fear of being rejected by society. This is laid down on an intuitive level. To ancient man It was impossible to survive alone, so being rejected by society was considered tantamount to death. It is these “instincts” that wake up at the wrong moment.

A person may be aware that nothing serious in his life depends on the delivery of any particular speech, his reputation will not be trampled, however, an uncontrollable irrational fear grips him, squeezing his throat.

Low self-esteem is often among the causes of stage fright. It can be formed as a result of improper parental upbringing: excessive severity, criticism of the child, suppression of his personality.

Among other things, stage phobia occurs due to pathological perfectionism. The pursuit of perfection can play a cruel joke even with experienced speakers.

The desire to look perfect causes a person to be distracted by thoughts about HOW he speaks and gestures, instead of being focused on WHAT he says.

Unnecessary thoughts confuse, provoke “mecking” and the use of unnecessary verbal clutter. Such cases add excitement to the upcoming next public appearance.

Symptoms and signs

Our body perceives the moment of going on stage as danger. The hypothalamic-pituitary system is triggered, the adrenal glands are stimulated and adrenaline is released into the blood. As a result, a person feels stiffness in the muscles of the neck and back, and you automatically slouch your shoulders. Otherwise, if you use muscle effort to correct your posture and keep your head straight, your limbs will begin to tremble and get cold.

The pupils dilate, making it difficult to see up close. At the same time, you cannot see the text on the piece of paper, but you can clearly see the faces of the audience. The stomach cramps, there may be nausea or a feeling of “butterflies” in the stomach, and the mouth becomes dry. Children experience involuntary urination. Blood pressure may rise, pulsation in the temples, redness of the face, and tachycardia may occur.

A reverse reaction is also possible - low blood pressure, pallor, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness. Legs may give way and active sweating may occur.

And the most important thing, characteristic specifically for glossophobia, is the inability to control the voice. The ligaments are compressed, and the person cannot squeeze out a word.

How to overcome the fear of speaking in public

Much attention is now being paid to studying the problem of schoolchildren’s fear of public speaking. This tactic is very reasonable, because most problems in adult life begin in childhood.

It is schoolchildren who can cruelly ridicule an already insecure classmate, giving rise to new complexes and feeding old ones. Therefore, by explaining many points from childhood, helping the child overcome his internal pressures, you can save him from serious problems in later life.

So, you can overcome the fear of public speaking in several ways, depending on the severity of this fear. At very high level fears, that is, definitely phobias - the best solution will contact a psychotherapist. If your fear borders on obsessive-compulsive disorder, then a visit to a specialist is definitely necessary.

It happens like this: long before the upcoming performance, scenarios of your failure are scrolling through your head, you cannot be distracted and think about it again and again. This is pathological. In other cases, most common fears can be overcome on your own.

Radislav Gandapas, a public speaking specialist, shares his methods of overcoming the fear of public speaking. He emphasizes that speaking in front of an audience is a natural overcoming for any person. But a well-prepared speaker, confident in himself and his report, who knows how to behave in public, enjoys overcoming himself. Conversely, poor preparation, lack of rehearsals and lack of self-confidence will cause discomfort instead of pleasure from the performance and can provoke psychological trauma.

Conclusions

According to statistics, 95% of people have a fear of speaking in public. This is genetic: standing in front of a crowd is scary - you are alone, but there are many of them. But there are ways to overcome this feeling. You need to be psychologically prepared for your debut. It is very important not to devalue yourself and not to overestimate the importance of others. In addition, it is worthwhile to properly prepare for going on stage. It is advisable to rehearse all your movements and know the material very well.

The ability to speak in public is the most valuable skill of the modern business man. Representatives of many professions, due to their responsibilities, are faced with the need to speak in front of an audience quite often: a top manager needs to motivate his subordinates, a sales representative needs to convince a client to buy his company’s product. - the basis of social connections; without speaking abilities it is very difficult to achieve a positive result for yourself in working with other people. Given the importance, responsibility for the outcome also increases. This rightly explains the fear of public speaking, but as many teachers believe oratory, it can be overcome. In this article you will find useful tips, how to overcome and overcome the fear of public speaking even in front of the most demanding audience.

Fear

The WikiHow project claims that fear of public speaking ranks high on the list of phobias among residents. North America. In psychology, there are even special terms that refer to fear of public speaking and stage fright - peiraphobia or glossophobia.

To fight fear, you need to understand its cause. Journalists would write: “You need to know the enemy by sight,” and they would be absolutely right. Genetic predisposition to fear of public speaking (temperament, accentuation and neuroticism) actually plays a small role. A number of factors of social origin have a significantly greater influence on the fear of speaking in front of an audience: upbringing, negative experience and others. From childhood, many are taught not to scream, but to speak quietly, so as not to attract unnecessary attention. This attitude persists and leads to discomfort when you have to speak in front of a large audience. Negativity also provokes an attitude towards performing at school. Think about how often Hollywood films about education are full of scenes where elementary school children defend home projects by speaking in front of the class. Whether this solves the problem or not, we’ll leave it to teachers to figure out, but this practice began to be used in our country only recently and in a rather limited form.

Scientists have noticed that as a result of speaking in public, some people release the same amount of adrenaline as those who jump with a parachute. Such a surge of emotions is difficult to curb, especially when you are not in flight, but in front of other people who, moreover, are trying to evaluate you. But a well-known principle comes into play here - the first time is much more difficult than subsequent times. Based on this, it can be stated that that constant practice helps reduce fear.

Methods for overcoming fear of public speaking

Identify the source of the fear. We are not afraid of the performance, but of how the audience will react to it. The uncertainty is scary: what will happen after going on stage? It's very important factor is the understanding that almost always the vast majority of people hope to benefit from your speech, accordingly they are sincerely interested and want you to succeed.

Don't deny your fear. If you are perfectly prepared for the presentation and master the topic, you have nothing to be afraid of. Fear is just defense mechanism from a situation in which you may find yourself during a performance, but most likely you will never find yourself. Take it as an additional challenge and motivation. How to cope with fear, anxiety and stress is described in detail in our course.

People don't see your nervousness. Only a few appearance can tell how worried the other person is. It is a mistake to assume that the audience can see how worried you are. This means that there is at least one less reason to fear.

Get better at . There are many books and practical trainings, which will help you learn how to prepare for a performance, attract an audience, maintain contact and, as a result, make the performance more comfortable.

The most important thing is preparation. Confidence comes from being in control. Make sure you know the material, try to predict the questions. Make a detailed plan for your speech and break it down into main points to remember. Make the speech not boring, include a couple of jokes, quotes, stories.

Make yourself smile as soon as they came on stage. Psychologists are sure that smiling relieves stress. Moreover, on a subconscious level, this will endear you to part of the audience.

Relaxation. There are many techniques for relaxation, self-hypnosis, based on meditation or breathing exercises. The following exercise can be used as an example. Focus all your attention on inhalation and exhalation. Breathe deeply, holding your breath for a few seconds. As you exhale, count in your mind from 1 to 5. Focus for at least 5 minutes, this will relieve tension.

1. No falsehood. Insincerity is easy to spot.

2. During the presentation, do not take anything personally (questions, comments, etc.)

3. Remember: every time you go on stage, you learn something new.

4. Try to avoid any physical barriers between you and the audience (lecterns, tables, podiums) unless provided for by the organization.

5. If you don’t know the correct answer to asked question, don't answer incorrectly. Use a formula like: “We will return to this issue later.”

6. You can also redirect this question to the audience. This will allow you to both understand the answer and enhance interaction with listeners.

7. It’s good if there are your friends or acquaintances in the hall. Make eye contact with them. This will give you the opportunity to feel surrounded by loved ones and cope with anxiety.

Forgetting cues or movements. It’s even worse to confuse others with your mistake if the performance is in pairs or in a group. In fact, not the stage as such, but the viewer, or rather the public. Indeed, from the pedestal it is scary to appear unprepared and confused. If it's the audience, try to tame them.

Instead of imagining tomatoes being thrown at you, imagine your own triumph in every detail. Imagine getting a standing ovation and handing out cheers to the enthusiastic audience. No matter how pretentious it may sound, sometimes it is useful to dream in this spirit even for those who are far from the stage, for example, people conducting responsible negotiations.

The best way to overcome is to start. Don't mind if you sing the first verse with a trembling voice, but by the middle of the song your talent will fully reveal itself. Remember how you were in or at a university, even if you had to sit down at the examiners’ table with a completely empty head, after a couple of general phrases the mosaic of the answer formed by itself, didn’t it?

To ensure that fear takes up minimal space in your mind, rehearse as much as possible. If you know that you “endure” a scene with difficulty, rehearse in front of a mirror, it is advisable to see yourself in it at that moment in full height. Take a look at yourself. Perhaps, instead of the person in you, you see a hunched copy of him in front of you, muttering something under his breath? Correct the situation immediately!

If there are only a few moments left before the start of the speech, and you cannot cope with it, lightly pinch yourself on the arm or bite the tip of your little finger. The sharp pain should “return”. Tell yourself that everything will work out for you and that it simply cannot be any other way. Smile. Straighten your shoulders. Take a deep breath, exhale sharply and... your exit!

Sources:

how to stop being afraid of yourself

Regardless of whether you are an experienced speaker or about to make your debut on stage, uncontrollable fear, a trembling voice and weakness in the legs can overtake you suddenly. Although maximalists are more likely to survive such a state.

Instructions

Prepare in advance. Think carefully about the essence of your speech and rehearse it. Make a plan so you can continue your thoughts if you accidentally stumble. Don't learn the speech by heart - formulate the main ideas and express them in your own words.

Have a positive attitude and relax. Just before going on stage, take a few deep breaths and trust that everything will go well.

Humble yourself. When a person has to talk about important and serious things, then a certain amount of excitement is quite appropriate. You should not expect angelic calm from yourself.

Get distracted by your imagination. Remember what officials’ speeches look like at press conferences, and with what ease and humor some of them respond to provocations. Imagine yourself in this person’s place and how wonderfully everything is going. This way you will be charged positive emotions, and a bit of humor will help take your mind off nervousness.

Dream a little. Many people have places they would like to visit. Thinking about this before speaking can be very helpful. After all, the silence and tranquility of the desired atmosphere can slow down a frantic heartbeat in an instant.

Sweaty palms. Rapid pulse. You know this feeling. Whether there are five or fifty people in front of you, public speaking is a harrowing experience for most people. Many of us suffer from an intense fear of appearing in public. Every time we have to give a speech in front of a more or less large audience, our stomach shrinks and our throat becomes so tight that it is impossible to say a word.

Life is such that if you plan to present any information (and you, most likely, will have to do this), then you need to be able to effectively convey your ideas when speaking to groups of people of varying sizes. When trying to overcome your fear of public speaking, you first need to understand why stage fright plays such a role in our lives.

We hope you enjoy reading the research on how to overcome this common phobia.

Stage fright: what is it?

Often, a few weeks before a presentation or speech, people begin to think: “What will happen if the audience does not like my speech, or someone thinks that I myself do not understand what I am talking about?” All people are programmed to worry about their reputation almost more than anything else in the world. The “ancient” parts of our brain that control the reaction to threats to our reputation are responsible for this, and it is extremely difficult for us to control them.

It was these responses to threats that Charles Darwin studied when he visited the serpentarium at London Zoo. Darwin tried to remain completely calm, bringing his face as close as possible to the glass, behind which was an African viper, ready to pounce on him. However, every time the snake lunged, he jumped back in fear. Darwin recorded his findings in his diary:

“My mind and will were powerless against the idea of a danger that I had never experienced.”

He concluded that his reaction to fear was an ancient mechanism that was in no way affected by the characteristics of modern civilization. This response, known as “fight or flight,” is a natural process designed to protect our bodies from harm.

What happens in our nervous system?

When we think about negative consequences, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus is activated and triggers the pituitary gland, which is responsible for producing adrenocorticotropic hormone. This hormone stimulates the adrenal glands, which leads to the release of adrenaline into the blood.

It is at this moment that many of us feel a reaction to this process.

The muscles in your neck and back contract (causing you to slouch and duck your head), distorting your posture in an attempt to force you into a fetal position.

If you resist this by squaring your shoulders and raising your head, your legs and arms will tremble as the muscles of your body have already instinctively prepared for the impending attack.

Blood pressure increases and digestive system stops to maximize flow nutrients and oxygen to vital organs. The consequence of the suspension of digestion is dry mouth and a feeling of “butterflies” in the stomach.

Even your pupils dilate at this moment, and therefore it becomes difficult for you to see up close (for example, reading the text of a speech), but it is easier to see into the distance (so you notice the facial expressions of the audience).

Your stage fright is also affected by three main aspects, which we will now look at.

1. Genes

Genetics plays a huge role in how nervous you are in social situations. For example, although John Lennon performed on stage thousands of times, he was known to feel nauseous before each stage appearance.

Some of us are simply genetically programmed to feel more nervous about public speaking than others. In addition, it is believed that the nervousness before going on stage, despite great experience- a sign indeed good artist or a speaker who cares about the quality of his speech and the impression of the audience.

2. Level of training

We have all heard the expression “Repetition is the mother of learning.” The main benefit of rehearsals is that with them comes experience, and with experience, the nervousness that spoils the performance decreases. In other words, the more confident you are in your presentation, the less nervous you will be about public speaking.

To prove this thesis, in 1982, a group of psychologists studied billiards players: in one case they played alone, and in the other they played in front of spectators.

“Strong players scored more when playing in front of spectators, while weaker players scored fewer. Interestingly, strong players improved their play in the presence of spectators, compared to their play in the absence of them.”

What this means is that if you're very familiar with your presentation, you'll likely perform even better in front of an audience than if you were rehearsing alone or in front of a friend.

3. Risks

If you're giving a presentation where business is at stake, or the whole country is watching, there's a good chance that if you fail, your reputation will suffer greatly.

The higher the stakes, the higher the likelihood of ruining your reputation if the performance fails. Because of this, even more adrenaline is produced, which manifests itself in paralyzing fear and nervousness.

Scholars have also examined the impact of reputation threats in online communities. For example, many sellers on eBay worry about their reputation, as it directly affects their earnings. One negative review can discredit the seller's profile and lead to a drop in sales.

By the way, one study proved that a positive reputation of a seller on eBay adds 7.6% to the price of his goods.

A good reputation protects us, but it also provokes fear that one careless move could ruin your established credibility in the eyes of your audience and deprive you of future opportunities.

How to Overcome Stage Fright - 4 Step Guide

Now that we know the roots of our fear of public speaking, we can take these 4 steps to improve our presentation skills and overcome stage fright.

1. Preparation

Those who often attend conferences have probably seen speakers who spent several minutes reviewing their slides before speaking. This is not best way Prepare for a quality presentation. Have you ever seen a musician cramming his songs before a concert? Never!

It’s also not very fair to the audience who gives you 10, 20 or 60 minutes of their attention.

What is the best way to prepare for a performance?

About a week in advance, outline your narrative (about 15-20 slides), reflecting on the content and using short captions and sketches. Here is an example of one such plan.

This will give you confidence because you'll know the main points you want to cover, while still leaving plenty of room for rehearsal and refining your slides.

Then write an outline for the speech itself, which will look something like this:

1. introduction
2. main topic 1
3. thesis
4. example (something unique from my experience)
5. thesis
6. main theme 2
7. thesis
8. example (something unique from my experience)
9. thesis
10. main theme 3
11. thesis
12. example
13. thesis
14. conclusion

By formatting your presentation as “thesis, example, thesis,” you can not only visualize the entire presentation, but also think deeply about what you are talking about to fully meet the needs of the audience.

First, write down the main topics and theses, then return to the introduction and end the story with a conclusion.

Start your introduction by talking about yourself and why the audience should listen to your talk. Tell the audience directly how your performance will help them so they tune in.

Then rehearse each part of the speech (introduction, topic 1, topic 2, etc.) 5-10 times.

Then read your presentation out loud from start to finish at least 10 times.

This may seem like over-preparing, but remember that Steve Jobs rehearsed hundreds of hours before delivering his legendary Apple presentations.

2. How to rehearse as if everything is “for real”

During rehearsals, it is important to create the environment that you would expect during the actual presentation. This eliminates moments of uncertainty, and you'll spend less energy worrying about the details once you're on stage.

In 2009, a group of researchers discovered that when we have many visual stimuli in front of our eyes, the brain only responds to one or two of them. This means that we can only focus on 1-2 items.

This means that all you should be focused on is connecting with your audience and communicating your story well, rather than trying to remember which slide should go next or where you should stand on the stage.

During rehearsals, turn on the same slides on the computer that will be shown in the real performance, use the same remote control and present information every time as if everything is happening for real.

3. Breathe deeply, stretch and begin.

The most exciting thing about public speaking is those last minutes before going on stage. To overcome nervousness, you can go to the toilet, stretch your arms up and take three deep breaths in and out. This is what it looks like from the outside:

This exercise activates the hypothalamus and stimulates the production of hormones responsible for relaxation.

By the way, scientists studied the effects of slow breathing on a group of 46 experienced musicians and found that one session of such breathing helps to cope with nervous excitement, especially for those musicians who are very worried.

The feelings that accompany stage fright are usually strong not during the performance, but before it, so take a minute before going out in front of the audience to breathe and stretch.

4. After the speech, assign the following

If you want to excel in the art of public speaking, you need to do it more often. With each new performance you will feel less nervous and more confident.

Speak at low-level events at first. For example, this could be a presentation to family members about the need to go on vacation. :)

Anything to practice your ability to speak in front of other people.

Instead of a conclusion: how to get rid of “uh” and “mmm”

A couple of interjections of “uh” and “umm” won’t ruin your presentation, but if they fill every transition between slides or talking points, they will become distracting. You will have to suffer in trying to abandon these interjections, especially if they have become an integral part of your speech.

One way to get rid of these words is to use the breaking technique, which means dividing your presentation into short bursts of words with short pauses in between.

Public speaking can be intimidating, but it is an integral part of almost any career. I hope that understanding the causes of stage fright and using these techniques will help you give a stellar performance at your next presentation.