Among the things that most of us are afraid of, spiders, clowns, and snakes rank fairly high on the list. But there’s another fear that’s pretty common — and it’s a lot more present in our everyday lives. Just the idea of public speaking, regardless of the size of the audience or the subject matter, is enough to turn even the most confident creative entrepreneur into a wavering puddle of nerves. Unfortunately, it’s also a necessity in business.
Fear of public speaking is so common, it even has a scary-sounding name: Glossophobia. Symptoms range from anxiety and sweating to nausea and a difficult time concentrating prior to a speaking engagement. And glossophobia doesn’t discriminate; even just having to give a pep talk to a handful of coworkers or a toast at a friends’ wedding can instill a deep fear in those who suffer from speech anxiety.
There’s no real cure for glossophobia — except practice, practice, and more practice. Another thing that helps? Amassing public speaking tips, which can give you something more to think about than your own nervousness about flubbing a line or forgetting a slide. Michael Port and Amy Mead are public speaking experts, who have helped hundreds of glossophobes overcome their fear of public speaking through empowerment and encouragement.
Here’s a quick video from Amy and Michael, explaining three super easy tips to incorporate the next time you have to get up and talk.
Whether you’re an employee with a big pitch, the owner of a small business who’s trying to get funding, or a prospective new hire charged with the daunting task of giving a presentation as part of a job interview, these three simple public speaking tips can help you start strong, stay confident, and end with a bang. And if you want more ways to ace every instance of public speaking you’re ever challenged with, check out Amy and Michael’s class, Heroic Public Speaking.
