How to Overcome the Fear of Speaking in Front of an Audience

If the thought of standing up and speaking in front of other people makes your heart race, your hands shake or your mind suddenly go blank, you're certainly not alone. Public speaking anxiety is extremely common, and it can affect people who are perfectly confident in other areas of their lives.

During my years working as a clinical hypnotherapist and counsellor, I've helped many people who were capable, knowledgeable and well prepared, yet became extremely anxious as soon as they had to speak in front of a group.

Some worried that their voice would shake. Others were frightened of forgetting what they wanted to say, being asked a question they couldn't answer or simply having everybody looking at them.

The important thing to understand is that being nervous about public speaking doesn't mean you're bad at it. In many cases, it's the fear of what might happen that causes far more difficulty than the speaking itself.

The good news is that there are practical ways to reduce public speaking anxiety and gradually become more comfortable and confident in front of an audience.

Why Does Public Speaking Make Us So Nervous?

Public speaking puts us in an unusual situation. Instead of being part of a conversation, we suddenly become the focus of attention.

If you're already worried about being judged, making a mistake or looking nervous, your body can respond as though you're facing a threat. Your heart may beat faster, your breathing becomes shallower and your muscles tense.

Then something else often happens.

You notice the physical symptoms and start worrying about those too.

My hands are shaking. Can everyone see?

My voice sounds nervous.

What if my mind goes blank?

That creates another layer of anxiety, and before long you can become more focused on your nerves than on what you actually want to say.

Learning to break this cycle is an important part of becoming a more confident speaker.

Stop Trying to Hide Every Sign of Nervousness

One of the most useful changes you can make is to stop expecting yourself to feel completely calm.

You don't have to eliminate every butterfly, shaky hand or nervous thought before you can speak well.

In fact, trying desperately not to look nervous can make you even more self-conscious. You start monitoring your voice, your hands, your face and how you're standing instead of concentrating on your message.

Most audiences are also far less aware of your nervousness than you imagine.

A slight tremble in your voice that feels enormous to you may barely register with somebody listening.

Rather than telling yourself, I mustn't be nervous, try something more realistic:

It's okay to feel nervous. I can still do this.

That small change takes away some of the pressure.

Practise Your Opening More Than Anything Else

The first minute is often the hardest part of public speaking.

You're suddenly standing in front of everyone, adrenaline is high and you haven't yet settled into the rhythm of speaking.

That's why I recommend knowing your opening particularly well.

Don't just read it silently. Say it out loud repeatedly until the first few sentences feel familiar.

When the day comes, you don't then have to cope with remembering exactly what you wanted to say at the same time as dealing with those initial nerves.

Once you've been speaking for a minute or two, you'll often find that your breathing begins to settle and your attention shifts from yourself towards what you're actually talking about.

Deliberately Slow Down at the Beginning

Anxiety often makes people speak more quickly without realising it.

You want to get through the uncomfortable experience, so you rush. Unfortunately, speaking quickly can make you feel even more breathless and anxious.

Before you begin, breathe out slowly.

Pause.

Then deliver your first sentence a little more slowly than feels natural.

You don't need to fill every second with words. A short pause that feels very noticeable to you will usually sound completely normal to your audience.

Slowing those first few sentences can help you establish a much calmer pace for everything that follows.

Practise Out Loud, Not Just in Your Head

Reading through a presentation isn't the same as delivering one.

Words that look perfectly natural on a page can sometimes feel awkward when spoken.

Practising aloud helps you discover where you stumble, where a sentence is too long and where you naturally need to pause.

If possible, practise standing up as you will during the real presentation.

You could also record yourself on your phone. You don't need to scrutinise every detail of the recording. Simply listen for whether you're speaking clearly and at a comfortable pace.

You'll probably discover that you sound considerably less nervous than you felt.

Don't Try to Memorise Every Word

Trying to remember a presentation word for word can actually increase anxiety.

If you forget one sentence, you may suddenly feel as though you've lost your place completely.

Instead, know the structure.

What are the main points you want people to remember?

Use short notes or prompts rather than pages of tightly written text where appropriate. If you know where you're going next, the precise words become much less important.

You're speaking to people, not sitting an examination.

What to Do If Your Mind Goes Blank

This is one of the biggest fears people have about public speaking.

First, remember that a pause feels much longer to the speaker than it does to the audience.

If your mind does go blank, stop.

Take a breath.

Look at your notes.

You can even say something simple such as, “Let me put that another way,” or “The important point here is…”

Then continue.

You don't have to pretend nothing happened.

Most audiences aren't sitting there waiting for you to make a mistake. They're interested in what you're saying, and a brief pause is rarely as significant as it feels in the moment.

What If Your Voice Starts Shaking?

A shaky voice is often made worse by shallow breathing and rushing.

If you hear that first little tremble and immediately think, Oh no, it's happening, anxiety can increase very quickly.

Instead, slow down.

Finish the sentence.

Breathe out before starting the next one.

You don't have to force your voice to become steady. Give your breathing and speaking pace a chance to settle naturally.

And remember that hearing a little nervousness in someone's voice doesn't automatically make an audience think badly of them. Most people know what it feels like to be nervous themselves.

Take the Focus Off Yourself

Public speaking anxiety tends to turn your attention inward.

How do I look?

How do I sound?

What are they thinking about me?

Try changing the question.

What do you want the audience to understand?

What information have you got that could be useful or interesting to them?

You're not there simply to be looked at. You're there because you have something to communicate.

Moving your attention from “How am I doing?” to “What am I trying to tell them?” can make a surprisingly big difference.

Use the Audience Rather Than Fear Them

You don't need to look at every person in the room.

Find a few people who appear interested or friendly and occasionally make eye contact with them.

If somebody smiles or nods, allow yourself to notice it.

An anxious mind naturally looks for evidence that something is going wrong. Someone looking at their phone, whispering or appearing distracted can suddenly feel terribly important.

But you don't know why they're doing it.

Look instead for the people who are listening.

A Simple Way to Calm Yourself Before Speaking

You don't need an elaborate routine.

A few minutes before you're due to speak, find somewhere reasonably quiet if possible.

Allow your shoulders to drop and breathe normally.

Then make your out-breath slightly longer than your in-breath. Don't force huge breaths, particularly if they make you light-headed.

As you breathe out, consciously release some of the tension in your jaw, shoulders and hands.

Then remind yourself of something simple:

I don't have to be perfect. I just need to communicate.

The aim isn't to magically remove every trace of anxiety. It's to bring it down to a level where you can get on with what you've prepared to do.

Visualise Yourself Coping, Not Being Perfect

Mental rehearsal can also be useful, but I prefer people to imagine something realistic rather than visualising a flawless performance.

Imagine yourself walking to the front and noticing a few nerves.

Then imagine taking a breath, beginning slowly and gradually settling into what you're saying.

Perhaps imagine losing your place briefly, looking at your notes and continuing perfectly well.

That's important because confidence doesn't come from believing that nothing will ever go wrong.

It comes from knowing that you'll be able to cope if it does.

Be Careful With Caffeine

If you're already anxious, several strong coffees or energy drinks before a presentation may not help.

Caffeine can contribute to sensations such as a racing heart or feeling jittery, which can then be mistaken for anxiety getting worse.

You don't necessarily need to avoid your normal morning coffee, but the day of an important presentation probably isn't the best time to consume much more caffeine than usual.

How Self-Hypnosis Can Help With Public Speaking Anxiety

Self-hypnosis can be useful alongside practical preparation because it gives you an opportunity to relax and mentally rehearse responding differently to the situation.

Rather than repeatedly imagining yourself freezing, panicking or being judged, you can practise picturing yourself standing in front of other people, breathing comfortably, speaking at a steady pace and recovering calmly from any small mistakes.

I've used this type of mental rehearsal extensively during my years working as a clinical hypnotherapist.

The aim isn't to convince yourself that you'll never feel nervous again. It's to help weaken the automatic connection between standing in front of an audience and feeling overwhelmed by anxiety.

If you'd like to explore this approach at home, I've created an Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking Self-Hypnosis MP3 specifically for this purpose.

The session guides you into deep relaxation before helping you mentally rehearse speaking with greater calmness, control and confidence.

Find out more about the Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking Self-Hypnosis MP3.

After the Presentation: Don't Give Yourself a Post-Mortem

This is something that's often overlooked.

People with public speaking anxiety can finish a perfectly respectable presentation and immediately start searching for everything they did wrong.

I stumbled over that sentence.

I shouldn't have said that.

Someone looked bored.

My voice shook at the beginning.

If you do this every time you speak, your mind starts associating public speaking not only with anxiety beforehand but with hours of self-criticism afterwards.

Instead, ask yourself three questions:

What went well?

What would I do differently next time?

What did I cope with better than I expected?

Learn from the experience, then leave it alone.

You don't need to deliver a perfect presentation to make progress.

Build Confidence Through Experience

If possible, don't wait until you have to give an important presentation before practising speaking in front of other people.

Look for smaller opportunities.

Speak up in a meeting. Ask a question. Offer to introduce something. Practise a short presentation in front of someone you trust.

Each manageable experience gives you evidence that you can cope.

The aim isn't necessarily to become somebody who loves standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people.

It's to reach the point where fear no longer prevents you from saying what you want to say or taking opportunities that matter to you.

When Public Speaking Anxiety Is Affecting Your Life

For some people, fear of public speaking is uncomfortable but manageable. For others, it begins affecting important decisions.

You might avoid applying for a promotion because you'd have to make presentations, turn down opportunities at work, dread meetings where you may have to speak or avoid events where attention could fall on you.

If the anxiety is having a significant effect on your life, it's worth considering professional support rather than simply trying to force yourself through it.

There is no embarrassment in getting help with something that's restricting what you feel able to do.

Moving Forward

Public speaking confidence rarely appears overnight.

It develops through preparation, experience and discovering that the things you fear either don't happen or are much easier to deal with than you expected.

Start with the first minute.

Know your opening. Slow yourself down. Let yourself be a little nervous. Concentrate on your message rather than monitoring yourself.

And when you've finished, give yourself credit for doing it rather than immediately looking for everything that wasn't perfect.

With repeated experience, speaking in front of other people can begin to feel less like something you have to survive and more like something you simply know how to do.

About Sharon Shinwell

Sharon Shinwell is a UK-qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor with more than 25 years' professional experience. She has worked with many people experiencing anxiety, fears and confidence difficulties, including anxiety around speaking in front of other people.

Sharon has also appeared on BBC radio and television and contributed to national newspapers and magazines. She has created more than 100 self-hypnosis and guided meditation recordings designed to provide practical support that people can use in their own homes.