Public speaking is a skill many people detest to exercise, but there is no doubt that it is one of life’s most useful abilities. From presentations to speeches, public speaking is used in almost all contexts of life and it is an essential aspect of whatever it is you are doing. It is used as a means of connection, communication, and entertainment, but all the critical aspects of this art are overlooked due to most people’s fear of vulnerability and rejection.
It is no secret that you are putting yourself on the line when you go up in front of an audience and then have to speak to them, sometimes for very long periods of time, but confronting those fears is the first step towards conquering the art of public speaking.
In an interview with Laguna Beach sophomore Zoey Bond, who participated in the Brush and Palette Talent show last year, she stated that her biggest tip for overcoming the fear of being in front of an audience is to remind herself “[she] knows what [she] is talking about and [she] knows what [she] is doing”. This strategy works to alleviate the uncertainty that derives from anxiety; many times, in the heated moments before a public showcase, anxiety can trick you into thinking what you have prepared will not be enough and everyone will be able to tell. Reminding yourself how you have put in the time and effort will give you breathing space, and from there, in the words of Zoey, “you just have to pretend you are talking to your mom or your dog”.
However, the anxiety you feel might not so easily dissipate, and that is because the root cause of stage fright or public speaking is an overarching fear of rejection and vulnerability, as I mentioned previously. Standing in front of an unblinking, silent crowd would put anyone with a frontal lobe on edge, and we experience this feeling because anxiety has always been an essential part of our survival as a species. Obviously, all things should be taken in moderation, but the anxiety we feel when planning a party, watching a football game, or getting ready to speak publicly is a development of the worry our ancestors felt while doing things like hunting or fighting in battle.
Reminding ourselves, sometimes constantly, that we are in control of our situations alleviates that fight-or-flight response to events such as presentations or speeches. The benefits of overcoming these feelings about public speaking are cosmic, including getting ahead in nearly every professional field, strengthening emotional intelligence, increasing analytical skills, building self-confidence overall, and so many other things that can contribute to improvement in your everyday life as well.
Soft skills like communication are what people look for when deciding to associate with someone either professionally or personally, and there is no better way to build those skills than by engaging in activities that put you in a position where you have to get out of your comfort zone and present yourself to an audience. Overcoming those instinctive fears of being turned down while expressing yourself openly will probably never go away, but learning to cope with them and reduce those worries will open new doors for you in every aspect of life. Whenever you get the jitters before an event like a speech or performance, just remember that you know what you are talking about and your preparation will pay off!
