How to overcome the fear of public speaking. How to overcome panic fear before speaking in public

Many people's professional responsibilities include regular public speaking and being in constant contact with large audiences. The activities of politicians, teachers, lawyers, managers, and artists are directly related to the presence, interaction, communication and often persuasion of a large group of people.

In his life, almost every person is faced with a situation when there is a need to demonstrate his oratory skills and speak in front of an audience. According to psychologists, a certain level of fear of speaking is present in the vast majority of people - over 95% of the population. Stage fright is one of the most common phobias, which not only causes inconvenience, worsens mental well-being and physical health, but also makes it difficult to implement job responsibilities, hinders further career growth.

Many prominent artists and musicians who regularly perform in front of large audiences are familiar with such fears. The actress experienced severe pathological stage fright Faina Ranevskaya, singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, musicians Pablo Casals, Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein.

For many people, stage fright is a significant stressful situation, untimely, incorrect and incomplete therapy and correction of which can become a factor in the accentuation of the individual and go into the category mental disorders. As a result of the influence of fear as a traumatic factor, a person resorts to so-called defensive behavior. This mechanism helps only for a while, and if the problem is not resolved in the future, and the person is unable to cope with the existing fear, it is the defense mechanisms that become an obstacle personal growth. They give rise to new emotional problems, creating a desire to escape reality into the “artificial world of simplicity” and are the cause of mental illness.

Therefore, it is extremely important to recognize the symptoms in time, analyze the cause, give a frank and, at the same time, optimistic assessment of what is happening, and take psychological correction measures.

Manifestation of glossophobia

In psychology, pathological fear public speaking called glossophobia or peiraphobia. One should clearly share the natural excitement that any person experiences before an upcoming solo monologue aimed at a large crowd of people, both familiar and unfamiliar. Thus, a completely adequate reaction of the body - excitement - arises before the upcoming solo performance of a beginning dancer and musician, before oral entrance exams to a university. At the same time, this person will not experience anxiety, tension and fear when he has to demonstrate his talents or read a report in front of a familiar audience: colleagues, classmates, teachers.

Psychologists emphasize that a moderate amount of anxiety and excitement has its positive sides. In anticipation of an important event, a person becomes more attentive, more collected, more energetic, and as a result, his performance is successful and of high quality. And a “solo” in public for those who don’t feel nervous at all often turns out to be a failure.

An individual suffering from glossophobia will experience an inexplicable and overwhelming fear during or before speaking, even in front of well-known audiences or in front of a small group of people. His fear is not selective, but constant when in public.

Symptoms of the disorder

Although the factors causing distress in phobic disorders are different, they all produce essentially the same, nonspecific biological response. Before or upon the onset of an unfavorable situation for an individual, in this case, in anticipation of being in public, emotional tension arises and increases. High level of activity of the subcortical system, activating the cerebral cortex, motor centers, glands of the internal system, sympathetic autonomic system, changes the work internal organs. So, Common manifestations of stage fright:

Increased and tense muscles;
Changes in gestures and facial expressions;
Changing the timbre and tone of the voice;
Autonomic manifestations: excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, “jumps” in blood pressure;
Headache, unpleasant, pressing sensations in the heart area.

An attack of glossophobia may be accompanied by:

dry mouth,
trembling voice,
loss of ability to speak
involuntary urination.

In rare cases, in people with increased nervous excitability, such a phobia causes fainting of varying durations. Loss of consciousness is usually preceded by dizziness, weakness, nausea, pallor of the face and lips, cold extremities, and a weak, rapid pulse.

The strength of manifestation and the number of symptoms are purely individual and depend on the characteristics of the person’s character, the method of responding to alarm signals, functional state body, mood, fatigue and nature of activity at the moment

Reasons for appearance

The main reasons for the formation of glossophobia:

Genetic predisposition;
Social factors.

Genetic inheritance has an individual tendency to specific types of fear, fear of society in general, and an innate level of anxiety. A person, as a constituent unit of society, is afraid of not being accepted, not understood, not appreciated by the community, afraid of being socially isolated. Among the hereditary psychological characteristics, it is worth highlighting the basis for further character formation: temperament, genetic accentuation and the degree of anxiety. Quite similar psychological characteristics parents and offspring: they have similar fears, a certain way of perceiving them, the same strength of reaction and degree of “stuckness”.

Psychologists consider social factors to be the most significant sources of the formation of phobia before public speaking:

incorrect, overly strict education;
incorrect behavior of parents in the family: intimidation, prohibitions, threats in childhood;
excessive sensitivity to criticism from others and internal “censorship”, giving rise to anankastic timidity and humility;
negative attitude towards one’s own “I”, low self-esteem, due to adult pressure on the child’s psyche;
negative childhood experiences that were subject to significant criticism for the individual;
distortion of the strength of stress factors towards their intensification;

Peiraphobia can manifest itself due to a lack of confidence to be understood by the audience, which is associated with poor, insufficient preparation and lack of necessary knowledge. For many, performing on stage is difficult due to the lack of sufficient experience.

A likely factor in the development of stage fright is the desire for perfection. Very often, glossophobia manifests itself in perfectionist people who strive for ideals and have the habit of valuing public opinion.

Also, people whose anxiety is accompanied by pedantic-type accentuation are afraid to be in everyone's sight.

Treatment: how to fight?

Of course, it is necessary to get rid of this phobia, and these fears can be successfully and completely eliminated by appropriate specialists. Professional help to get rid of glossophobia is necessary only for those whose fears turn into fears, the clear boundaries of which can only be determined by a psychotherapist. For all other speakers, lecturers, actors and musicians, you can overcome your phobia on your own.

Steps to overcome your fear of speaking in public include four steps:

awareness of the problem;
analysis of the reasons for the appearance;
development of solution ideas;
testing ideas in practice.

Let us dwell in more detail on possible resolution methods designed to reduce anxiety levels, increase self-esteem and get rid of glossophobia.

Stage 1. Getting rid of unknowns

We carefully analyze the audience: numbers, social status, age, life positions, interests of the audience. It is necessary to clearly understand what society expects from your speech, and what kind of response you expect to receive. Your awareness will negate the factor of uncertainty and it will become predictable to obtain a certain result.

Stage 2. Taming the “monster”

Your nervousness is heightened by the public's endowment negative traits and fixation on the “minuses”, such as: a skeptical grin, gestures of disapproval, critical whispers, etc. that allegedly take place in the audience. You can change your perception of the public by creating thoughts of approval. Endow objects positive features, pay mental attention to the pleasant little things coming from the audience: approving gestures, jubilant voices, interested glances. A great way to overcome stage fright is through visualization, where you put the outstanding result of your work into perspective.

Stage 3. Don’t allow the performance to fail

If stage fright causes fear of failure and failure, the best remedy would be careful preparation. When a person is confident in his knowledge and sufficient elaboration of the topic, he will worry much less.

For example, you have a report coming up. The algorithm of your actions is as follows:

search, analysis and study of source data from several sources,
creating unique text,
taking notes on the main points,
drawing up a speech plan,
selection of compelling arguments,
memorization or close retelling of a compiled text,
studying possible questions and preparing answers to them.

Practice your report in front of a mirror or speak in front of your loved ones. Listening to text dictated in your own voice will have a good effect. Please pay attention Special attention non-verbal part: your gestures, facial expressions and appearance. This preliminary presentation will help identify and correct possible mistakes and will give you confidence in your speaking abilities.

Stage 4. Recognize the possibility of error

It is necessary to reduce the often exaggerated importance of other people, logically evaluate criticism, recognize the presence of shortcomings in each individual, including: sarcasm, cynicism, skepticism, ill will and other disadvantages. Knowing that everyone can make mistakes, and that criticism is not always fair from well-wishers, will give you greater confidence.

It is necessary to regularly practice techniques aimed at developing objective self-esteem and increasing self-esteem. Affirmations on the topic of feeling your own worth and accepting yourself as a unique person give excellent results.

Stage 5. Fix on the positive

It is advisable to focus on the process itself rather than the expected outcome. It will be more productive to fixate on the course of action in the present, and not on the currently illusory future result. Imagine all the pleasant aspects of being in public, your success and recognition. The existing negative experience must be transformed into a positive one.

Besides, good methods to overcome stage fright are:

physical exercises for different groups muscles,
correct breathing,
activation of the left hemisphere, for example: mathematical calculations,
singing mentally or out loud a pleasant melody,
changing body position to a more open posture,
regular meditations,
use of self-hypnosis techniques.

A smile has fantastic power. A sincere smile will reduce mental stress and discomfort and deceive the subconscious (after all, it is not possible to be afraid and experience joy at the same time). Smile at the audience and when you receive a smile in return, you will feel your fears leaving you. Don’t avoid performing and interacting with the public, confidence will come with experience!

More resources on stage fright

Audio lecture on techniques for dealing with fear of public speaking.

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Fear that prevents implementation

Stage fright and public speaking are no joke. This is an impediment to the realization of talent. And what could be more important for a person than the realization of his properties? After all, only this gives him an incomparable feeling of happiness and pleasure from life. Refusing to realize is the same as not living.

When people experience stage fright, they often rationalize that “if I can’t do it, it means it’s not for me.” But for some reason you still want to be there, to experience a crazy excitement from everyone’s attention and the gratitude that follows the performance, which can be expressed in different ways - in the form of flowers, admiration for talent, respect. In the end, you want to feel that life was not lived in vain, that everything that fills you can be shared with other people.

We live among people and, one way or another, we must be able to be the center of attention and convey our thoughts to others. We can say that, to some extent, all life is a stage. Therefore, the problem of fear of public speaking becomes a real stumbling block for many people. Is it possible to help in this case? System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan claims that this is possible.

Emotionality in and out

System-vector psychology says that there are eight vectors - sets of innate mental properties of a person that determine his desires and abilities. As system-vector psychology explains, first of all, stage fright is characteristic of people with. This is very emotional people, extroverts, who, moreover, in certain states really like to show themselves, have a tendency towards publicity and demonstrativeness. That is, these are precisely those people who, with the correct development of their properties, feel most organic on stage, perform with pleasure, relaxed, freely, infecting the audience with their emotions, awakening empathy in them.

However, the properties of the visual vector may not be developed in childhood. This means that a child with rich emotional potential was not taught to bring his emotions out, to show his feelings. For example, a visual boy was forbidden to cry because “men don’t cry.” Or the parents simply did not have time to show attention to the child, while the little viewer especially needs it, much more than other children. He definitely needs to express his emotions, but his parents have no time. Situations are different, but the result is always the same - clogging emotions inside.

Possessing enormous emotional amplitude, visual people often find themselves in extreme states - the experience of incredible love at one end and the fear of death at the other. The latter has its root in our collective unconscious. The skin-visual woman was the daytime guard of an ancient human pack. She was the first with her keen vision to notice a lurking predator in the savannah and became frightened, releasing fear pheromones. The strongest fear of death, which only this woman with great sensual potential could experience, saved the life of the pack. He was acquitted then, but even now he is still present in the psyche of visual people.

Spectators are born with a fear of death, and this, in turn, is the cause of many other fears, including stage fright. Developing feelings, bringing them out to other people helps to get rid of this fundamental fear, and at the same time from all other fears at once.

It is useless to persuade yourself and imagine that there are pumpkins sitting in the hall instead of people. It is useless to go through the doorsteps of public speaking courses, trying to get rid of the numbness that covers you at the sight of spectators through regular training. You need to realize your properties and learn to direct them into the right direction. Stage fright goes away as soon as you manage to forget about yourself and focus your feelings on those for whom they are intended - the audience.

I look like?

There is another factor that prevents spectators from feeling free on stage - this is an obsession with their own appearance. They can look in the mirror for a long time. They are driven into despair by a small pimple on their nose. Having put a stain on their clothes, they make their way “along the wall” so that no one notices that something is wrong with them. Wrinkled trousers, ruined hairstyle, dirty shoes make them feel physical discomfort. Imagine now that the shaking hands of such a person, deathly pallor and wobbly legs are seen by dozens of people. This is terrible!

But most often, failures associated with fixation on how one looks appear in a person in the presence of an anal-visual ligament of vectors. As Yuri Burlan’s Systemic Vector Psychology says, it contributes to the fact that a person wants to see himself as perfect, without flaws and shortcomings, and also for other people to see him that way. This is how anal perfectionism, the desire for perfection, manifests itself.

The scene often exposes a person's internal tensions. A person loses his naturalness, so he doesn’t always look attractive. And this can be very difficult for a person with an anal vector to accept. Rarely does he manage to forgive himself for moments of shame. And although from the point of view of the audience there may be no shame (it happens that they do not even notice that the person is very worried), the person’s visual vector has already painted everything that is happening in the darkest colors. The speaker is already sure that he was hopelessly bad on stage. Everything is lost! Finita la comedy! Spectators are great dreamers, inclined to “make mountains out of molehills.”

Trapped by bad experiences

An anal-visual person who has made at least one mistake on stage in a state of extreme visual exaltation may never appear on stage again. He will experience his own failure for a long time, to the point that he will try to cut ties with people who saw his shame. Visually, he will dramatize the situation. Anally, constantly replaying your failure in your head, unable to forgive yourself for what happened. There are prerequisites for this - an anal person has a very good memory, but, unfortunately, he remembers for a long time not only the good, but also the bad.

A bad experience can become a guideline for him in life, and he will forever put an end to what he did not succeed once.

Fear of embarrassment

There is also a category of people who fundamentally do not want to risk performing on stage. These are purely anal people. Performing on stage is not part of their desires. They are introverts and feel much more comfortable at home, with their family, or doing meticulous, precise work, rather than under the spotlight. They don't rush to the stage. She is a stress factor for them. And under stress, an anal person can fall into a stupor, to the point of being unable to move (when arms and legs fail). But being a scientist, analyst, teacher, he is forced to speak in front of the public. And here he may also be hindered by his native fear of disgrace, the nature of which is revealed by the System-Vector Psychology of Yuri Burlan.

Stress causes such a person to tighten all the sphincters in the body. It is the anal person who loses his voice on stage due to stress, as the throat sphincter contracts. But the most sensitive area, the anal sphincter, suffers the most. Therefore, a state of prolonged stress leads to constipation in such a person. But sudden stress can lead to loss of control of the anal sphincter and cause diarrhea. This does not always happen, but subconsciously an anal person is always afraid of this, afraid of disgracing himself.

Our properties are given to us for happiness

Nature does not create a defect. It is we who, through the incorrect use of our properties, turn our lives into sheer suffering. Simply because we don’t understand why we were created this way and why certain qualities were invested in us. System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan allows us to understand ourselves more deeply.

We begin to see that our emotions have two poles - fear and developed sensuality, love. And in order not to be afraid, you must love. And not yourself, but another person. We realize that the anal vector is given to us to pass on experience to the next generations, to perform high-quality work that is necessary for society. Therefore, people with the anal vector have good memory, and perfectionism comes into play.

And this awareness is priceless, because it changes life guidelines, and bad conditions, including any fears, go away gently and naturally. So much so that we don’t even notice how we have become different. Don't believe me? Read reviews from those who completed the training:

“I’ll start with the fact that gradually the fears that really interfered with life began to go away! Many thanks to Yuri for this invaluable knowledge! In particular, my fear of public speaking decreased and I began to feel freer on stage. The vision of the world has changed dramatically, I am beginning to feel people not as before (through the prism of my beliefs), but to truly understand the motives of their actions! This is incredible! "

If fear of public speaking is stopping you, start by getting to know yourself at free introductory online lectures on Systemic Vector Psychology by Yuri Burlan. You can register for them using the link:

The article was written based on training materials “ System-vector psychology»

Each of us at least once in our lives has been faced with a situation where we need to speak in front of an audience: some went through this during their school years in literature classes, and others to this day regularly have to prepare reports at meetings. How to overcome your fears and cope with the task “excellently” - further in our article.

Where do legs come from?

One of the strongest and most common social fears is glossophobia. Pathological fear of speaking in front of an audience is present to one degree or another in almost every person, periodically poisoning his life. Some experience symptoms of stage fright in anticipation of defending their thesis or speaking at a scientific council, while others even experience panic attacks if the need arises to ask directions to strangers on the street. Why is this happening?

According to experts, evolution is to blame for everything: the fear of speaking in public “migrated” to us from our primitive ancestors. In those days, surviving alone was something out of fantasy - the primitive world was particularly cruel to defenseless people. In order to survive and somehow feed themselves and their families, people needed the support of their fellow tribesmen. It is for this reason that today, on a subconscious level, we try to do everything possible to be “accepted into the pack” - we really need the approval of others and it really matters to us what others think of us.

But there is another culprit of our fears, which lives in our heads. from early childhood. The saddest thing is that glossophobia is instilled in us by those closest to us - our parents. And this happens at the very moment when a mother, for example, scolds her son for making noise in the environment strangers. After all, according to her, such behavior is extremely indecent - good boys must behave calmly and please adults only when they are not seen or heard. Therefore, it is not surprising that, having matured, we experience great fear when we are faced with the task of showing our true “I” in front of an unfamiliar crowd.

How does the speaker's body react to the speech?

When presented in front of an unfamiliar public, a person experiences fear, which immediately affects the work of almost everyone critical systems body.

First of all, the heart comes under attack: the pulse rises and reaches 130 beats per minute. Pressure surges also appear - it rises to 150/95 mm Hg. Art. Circulatory system loses approximately 20% of oxygen, and a change in tone occurs in the intestines - there is a high chance of encountering bear disease. In addition, a person instantly becomes wet: sweat begins to be released 2 times more intensely.

How to overcome glossophobia?

Sometimes this problem is embedded so deeply in our brain that awareness of the causes of our own fears does little to help combat self-doubt. And here more radical measures should be taken.

1. Get rid of anxiety in every possible way. Self-hypnosis is often underestimated: the more often you tell yourself that you will do a task perfectly, the more your brain will believe in victory.

2. Don't forget about rehearsals. The better you memorize the speech you will need to give in front of an audience, the fewer unpleasant surprises will happen to you during your speech.

3. Work on your gestures. When a speaker does not use body language at all, the audience becomes bored.

4. Approach your fears with humor. Imagine the scene as if your boss starts whistling and actively throwing rotten tomatoes at you. The main thing is that the picture in your head should look really funny to you: humor is an excellent cure for nervousness.

5. Remember that the people who came to listen to you are your friends. They don’t wish you anything bad and they certainly don’t expect your fiasco. Everyone present came here to listen to you speak, which means that they are really interested in your speech.

6. Find support in the audience. Choose an attentive listener from the crowd and speak as if you were addressing him personally. This way you will have every chance to turn an exciting speech in front of an audience into a calm conversation with an interested person.

Relaxing your body before performing

Psychological methods for getting rid of glossophobia will work many times more effectively if you combine them with physical ones.

1. High-quality morning exercises. After getting a good night's sleep before the upcoming event (this is also very important!), do proper exercises. Exercise “conscientiously”: the stronger the physical fatigue, the more happiness hormone your body will produce, protecting you from nervousness.

2. Correct breathing. Before going on stage, be sure to do some breathing exercises. Don’t neglect them: this practice is successfully used by many world-famous stars. Inhale slowly while counting to ten. Hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale smoothly.

3. Smile. Firstly, a sincerely smiling person always attracts others. Even if the growing tension does not allow you to tune in to a positive mood, force yourself to smile: scientists have long proven that the facial muscles have feedback with the brain, and therefore an artificial smile very quickly develops into a real one, charging the person and the people around him with positive energy.

And most importantly, try to treat all your fears as simply as possible. That's life: we learn from our mistakes and improve even when we fail. Our every victory or failure is an experience, and as we know, it is priceless.

A detailed and practical guide to public speaking from a world-renowned expert. The ability to speak with confidence and deliver compelling presentations helps you grow your career faster, gain respect, and achieve your goals. Many people don't realize that anyone can become a great speaker—it's a learnable skill, like driving a car or riding a bike.

Self-confidence and mastery of emotions during public speaking

When you go out in public, your first priority is to look confident. And not only look like it, but also be it. Feel and radiate a positive attitude, calmness and vigor. Ideally, you should feel simply happy that you are in this place. Almost as happy as at a family New Year's party.

But the question is: how to achieve a state of calm, clarity of thought and self-confidence in front of any audience? You will find out the answer in this chapter.

Let's start with the fact that you need to realize one thing: stage anxiety is a normal, natural state, even for professionals who have performed in public thousands of times. British actor David Niven admitted that even after his thousandth performance he still feels sick from tension before each appearance on stage.

According to the authors of The Book of Lists*, 54 percent of adults fear public speaking more than death, but they also think there's nothing wrong with sending a shiver down your spine at the thought of speaking. The most important thing is to make these “goosebumps” move in formation in the right direction.

*“Book of Lists” is a series of books, each of which contains lists of people, places, events, combined unusual topic, for example: a list of people who died during sex, or people misquoted by Ronald Reagan, or the most biting dog breeds, or the most notorious libel trials, etc. Note lane

All fears are acquired

Children are born without fear. You are not born with this feeling - you learn it. All the fears that plague you mature age, are the result of childhood experience and its negative consolidation, which may have been contributed by others. But since you have learned all your fears, including the fear of speaking in public, you can get rid of them.

The main reason for stage fright in adults is destructive criticism, the object of which they became the object of in childhood. When parents scold a child for any reason, the fear of failure and rejection arises and develops in him. And in adult life this leads to hypersensitivity to the opinions of others.

Psychologists say that almost all mental and emotional problems arise from a lack of love in childhood. In an effort to control or manipulate a child, parents often use love as an instrument of influence on the child, as a reward that can be given for good behavior, or withheld for disobedience. As a result, the child very quickly comes to the conclusion: “If I do what Mom and Dad like, I will be safe. If I do something they don’t like, I’ll get into trouble.”

Sensitive child - hypersensitive adult

A child who in childhood became the object of destructive criticism or “restrained” love, in adulthood is overly concerned with the opinions of others and their attitude towards him. In more complex cases, a person becomes so unsure of himself that he does not decide to take any action until he is sure that all the people significant to him will approve of what he has planned.

Some people are traumatized by the mere thought of having to go out and speak in front of an audience.

Such a painful reaction reveals the fear of failure and rejection instilled in the very early childhood, even before reaching the age of five. But these feelings can be replaced by others - feelings of self-confidence, calmness, competence and self-control.

Many of today's best speakers also had stage fright. They shuddered every time they had to speak in public, even if it was only their colleagues. One of my friends, who today confidently speaks in front of audiences of thousands, even wet his pants during his first performance and was forced to run backstage.

Start with your message

To speak confidently in public, you first need to have a message that people actually want to hear. This is perhaps the most important condition.

Speak from the heart

Several years ago I had the opportunity to listen to a talk by Wally Amos, the founder of the Famous Amos cookie company. His speech was dedicated to the fight against illiteracy among adults. Amos himself donates quite a lot of time and money to help older people learn to read. It was clear to everyone gathered - and there were more than 600 people in the hall - that he spoke from the heart. He clearly lacked any special training in public speaking, but Wally organized his thoughts and ideas in a clear logical sequence and spoke with sincerity and passion. He argued how important it is for adults to be able to read and how this skill can change their lives. At the end of the speech, all the listeners stood up and greeted him with thunderous applause, because Amos spoke from the bottom of his heart about what he understood and what deeply worried him.

The audience is on your side

To get rid of fears and overcome nervousness when speaking in public, you also need to realize the following: when you go on stage, everyone sitting in the audience wants you to succeed. About the same thing happens when people come to the cinema. Have you ever gone to a screening in the hope that the film will be bad and you will waste time? Of course not! You're hoping for the opposite: that you'll see a great movie that will be worth your time and money.

The same can be said about the audience that came to hear you speak. She is rooting for you and sincerely wishes you to succeed and win an Academy Award. Look at your listeners: they are your fans. They care about you with all their hearts and hope that your performance will be successful and funny.

In other words, when you just start your speech, you already have an “A” in your “diary”: since the audience came, it means they have already given you an excellent mark. Your task is to maintain this assessment throughout the performance. Consider the Toastmasters method of systematic desensitization. With each new appearance in public, with each new speech, you will be more and more freed from fear and anxiety. Nothing builds self-confidence like repeating a challenge.

How to become more confident and competent

There are several techniques that can be used to overcome fear and anxiety before a performance. The world's best speakers use them all the time.

Verbalization

Your emotions are 95 percent dependent on what you tell yourself. That is, your thoughts, feelings and actions are largely controlled by internal dialogue. But the words that flow through your consciousness are completely in your power.

The most powerful words you can say to yourself to mentally prepare for a speech or other event are “I like myself!”

Before you go on stage, repeat to yourself over and over again: I like myself! I like myself! I like myself! These words have a wonderful effect on a person, increase his self-esteem and suppress fear. The more you like yourself, the more confident you will become. The more you like yourself, the calmer and more relaxed you will feel. The more you like yourself, the more you will like the people you speak to. Finally, the more you like yourself, the better your performance will be.

If you are nervous and afraid of something, drown out the sound of the voice of fear by repeating to yourself: “I can do it! I can! I can!". Fear of failure and rejection is expressed in the belief that “I can’t! I can't! I can't!". When you tell yourself “I can do it!”, you neutralize the influence of the negative message and turn off the fear, as if you were short-circuiting it. Once you try this technique for the first time, you will be surprised how much better you feel and how much more confident you become in speaking.

Visualization

All improvements in the outward expression of your feelings and behavior begin with a change in the pictures you paint in your mind. When you create a clear, positive and exciting mental image of yourself performing effectively, your subconscious mind takes this message as a command and begins to suggest words, feelings and gestures that are consistent with your mental picture.

You should see yourself performing on stage calmly, confidently, relaxed, with a smile on your face. Seeing how the audience reaches out to you, greedily catches your every word, how they smile, laugh, enjoy your speech, admire your ideas, as if everything you say is amazingly smart and funny. Check out the following two visualization techniques that you can use successfully in your practice.

Internal and external visualization

In the case of external visualization, you imagine yourself on stage as if you yourself were some kind of third party, a person from the audience who looks at everything from the outside. You see yourself standing straight, calm, confident, relaxed, and everything about you says that you have a great command of the topic and situation. You see yourself through the eyes of the viewer. In another case, internal visualization, you observe yourself and the audience with your own eyes, imagining that the audience is reacting to your words joyfully and positively.

You can alternately change visualization options, look at yourself with your own eyes and from the outside, but in both cases this look should be positive. In this way, you will saturate your subconscious with images of a brilliant performance, and in response, your subconscious will supply you with thoughts and feelings that correspond to these visions of yours.

Brain programming

There is another way to give yourself confidence and composure during public speaking. To do this, you need to imagine yourself giving a brilliant speech. It’s especially good to do this before bedtime. The human subconscious is best reprogrammed in the last few minutes before falling asleep and in the first few minutes after waking up.

As you fall asleep, imagine yourself giving a wonderful presentation to the audience you will soon meet. This picture will enter your subconscious and have a significant impact on the deepest layers of your psyche - and all this will happen while you are sleeping. The more often you do this exercise, the calmer and more confident you will feel when it comes time to give a speech in front of an audience. This is exceptional effective method psychological training.

Emotionalization

In fact, you are able to truly feel what it is like to be an already established, successful and popular speaker. In other words, you can create emotions of happiness, joy, pride, excitement and confidence before the performance even takes place. You can achieve this by imagining that you have just finished your amazing speech and everyone in the audience is standing up, smiling, clapping their hands and shouting “bravo!” And then imagine your own delight and satisfaction from a job well done.

When you are left alone, try to evoke the desired sensations in yourself, as if the performance has already taken place and went exactly the way you wanted. Embrace these emotions and combine them with the statement: “I always perform with a bang.” Support them with the mental picture you have created of yourself in which you come across as an eloquent and competent professional speaker.

The famous psychologist and philosopher William James said: “ The best way experience a certain feeling: begin to behave as if it had already arisen in you.” Actions can be controlled by the will much better than feelings. If you act like you've already felt what you want to feel, your actions can make a difference trigger and will really awaken this very experience in you. This technique is key to stage success.

Another great emotionalization technique is called the “End of the Movie.” To understand how it works, imagine that you went to the cinema to watch a new film. But it turned out that they arrived ahead of time and the previous session had not yet ended. Nevertheless, you decide to go in and watch the last 10 minutes of the movie. You see how the conflict of the heroes is already resolved and everything ends well for everyone.

The screen goes dark, the audience goes outside, and you return to the foyer and enter your session with the new visitors. Now watch the movie from the very beginning. But you already know how it will end. You know that in the end everything will be fine and, despite the twists and turns and zigzags, the fate of the heroes will turn out well. Since you already know what the ending is, you watch the plot unfold much more calmly. You enjoy various scenes without worrying about the characters, because you know that everything will turn out great for them.

In the same way, you can apply the "End of the Movie" technique to your speech. Imagine that you have reached the end of a presentation and everyone is smiling and applauding you. You did an excellent job. You are bursting with pride and excitement. Your friends sitting in the audience smile approvingly. Imagine this ending to your speech before you start speaking.

Practice this method over and over again, and you will be surprised how often your presentation will end up exactly the way you imagined.

Update

An important discovery awaits you now. Your subconscious mind does not make a difference between real events and events that you vividly imagine. For example, if you gave a triumphant presentation, it will record this incident as a fact of successful experience. And the next time you find yourself in a similar situation, or rather, about to give your next presentation, remembering this will give you confidence.

However, if you visualize, emotionalize and imagine a similar successful experience, even if it has not yet become reality, the subconscious mind will also accept it as a fact. So repeat this technique of visualizing a successful performance experience ten, twenty or fifty times, and the subconscious mind will record ten, twenty or fifty successful performances, each of which ended with thunderous applause from an enthusiastic audience.

If you practice this method, bringing up the image of success in your mind over and over again, your subconscious mind will become so confident in your speaking abilities that eventually you will actually begin to experience the feelings of calm, clarity and self-confidence that come to a person after achieving success. the highest level professionalism.

By combining all three methods - verbalization, visualization and emotionalization - you will truly program yourself for success and prepare for a brilliant performance in front of any audience.

How to boost your self-confidence at the last moment

Most methods of psychological preparation for public speaking take time. But there are several techniques for relieving nervous tension that a speaker can apply immediately before going on stage and thereby increase his chances of success.

When the day of the performance arrives, try to arrive early and check out the venue. Go up to the stage and stand at the lectern. Go downstairs, walk between the rows and figure out how you will look from the audience.

Talk to the first viewers and find out where they are from and what they do. Ask them their name, tell them your name. The more time you spend with the event participants before going on stage, the more relaxed you will feel during the performance. You will feel like you are among friends.

After you are introduced and begin your speech, look around at the people you just met and smile at them, as if you were going to talk personally with them, your old comrades. This will help you relax even more and feel in control of the situation.

Do breathing exercises to relax

In the final moments before going on stage, try to relax and prepare to deliver a great speech by taking a few deep breaths. The best thing to do is try a breathing technique I call “7 x 7 x 7.” So, you need to take as deep a breath as possible, without stopping until you slowly count to seven. Then hold your breath until you count to seven again, then exhale slowly - that's right! - until the count of seven.

Repeat the exercise several times slowly: inhale, hold your breath, exhale. Inhaling and holding your breath briefly puts your brain into alpha rhythm, clearing your thoughts, calming your nerves, and preparing you for a good performance.

Inspire yourself

Before you are introduced to the audience, tell yourself:

“This will be a great performance! I can't wait to get started! I’ll make a great speech!” And repeat to yourself several times: “I like myself! I like myself! I like myself!”

Say these words with the feeling as if you are trying to convince the person sitting on the other side of the room that you are completely sincere. The more emotionally you talk to yourself, the stronger it will be. positive influence the impact you will have on your subconscious and behavior.

Wiggle your toes

Another way to boost your self-confidence and quell your fears is to wiggle your toes just before going on stage. This usually happens when a person is sincerely happy, cheerful and inspired, especially often in childhood. By wiggling your toes before a performance, you will be more positive, smile, and actually feel happier and more cheerful. Remember: actions create emotions just as emotions create actions.

Rotate your shoulders

The tension that a person usually experiences before performing tends to bend his back and shoulders. Therefore, you can try to get rid of it by rolling your shoulders several times. Then relax your hands and shake them as if shaking drops of water from your fingers. This movement also helps relieve tension and stress. If you do the whole routine—take a few deep breaths, rotate your shoulders a few times, shake your arms, and wiggle your toes—you will feel your soul become calmer and more joyful: you are ready to perform.

Stand up straight

When you go on stage, straighten your shoulders, extend your head and keep it straight. Imagine that from the top of your head to the ceiling there is a invisible thread, on which you hang. When a person thinks that the thread is holding his head, he actually stretches and straightens his body, taking on the pose of a confident and empowered person.

Think about your audience

Find a way to mentally put yourself in a position of strength in relation to your audience. For example, before you start speaking, imagine that your audience consists entirely of people who borrowed money from you. They all came to ask you to let them delay the payment for a while longer.

You can also imagine the audience sitting in the hall in their underwear. Such a picture will make you smile, relieve tension and allow you to perform more effectively. If you think about your audience in this way, you will speak to them much freer and more relaxed.

Be grateful

Another great way to boost your self-confidence is by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to speak in front of an audience. Say to yourself, “I am so grateful that I had the chance to give a presentation to these people. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Imagine that you truly care about the well-being of your listeners. Repeat: “I love this audience! I love this audience! I love this audience!”

The more sincerely you root and rejoice for your listeners, the more confident you will feel. The more you perceive them as your friends who like you and who are pleasant to you, the more relaxed you will behave.

Stop thinking about yourself

And finally, remember that the event is not organized for your sake, but for the sake of the audience. Stop thinking about yourself and worrying about what your listeners will think about you. It’s better to tune in mentally and emotionally to the same wavelength as them and think exclusively about your audience.

My friend, Cavett Robert, founder of the National Speakers Association of the USA and a wonderful person, once admitted that in his youth he used to run on stage with the thought “Here I am!”, and began to become a good speaker only when he radically changed his attitude towards business. Now, going out to the audience, instead of “Here I am!” he thought: “Wow! And here you are!”

When you begin to see your audience as a collection of wonderful, exceptional, charming, interesting, and warm-hearted people, you will begin to treat them with the same “Wow! And here you are!” - and your fears will recede. You will begin to feel much calmer and more confident, you will become more generous and friendly. But that's not all! This internal transformation will mean: you are on your way to becoming one of the best speakers in your field of expertise.

Summary

Good mental fitness is akin to good physical fitness - both are achieved and maintained by constant exercise. If you use the methods and techniques described in this book to calm your nerves and master your emotions before a performance, you will soon feel calm, confident, and in complete control.

Fear of public speaking is common to all people. But there are effective methods for overcoming it, which consist of special exercises and practice.

What fear is is an ancient instinct that leaves us with only two options for action: to run or to attack. Naturally, in modern society last method fighting instincts is unacceptable.

Most people, when they see a full audience in front of them, simply run or are speechless. They confuse the words and after a few minutes they themselves no longer understand what they are talking about. Fortunately, there are effective methods for dealing with this kind of fear. And the first step to victory is understanding its reasons.

Phobia or ancient instinct?

Everyone, even the most successful speaker, has a fear of the public. This is inherent in people on a subconscious level. Remember the times when we had to hunt for dangerous predators to get food for themselves. Back then, teamwork determined what the tribe would eat that evening.

Times have changed, but the instinct to remain part of the “tribe” remains. That is why when we go on stage or give lectures from the podium, we experience fear, because we are separated from society.

Fear of public speaking is a normal emotion, which in the hands of a skilled speaker turns into a weapon, making him more concentrated and attentive. Moreover, he motivates us to better prepare for the performance, forcing us to review the material over and over again and rehearse in front of the mirror.

Ancient people were afraid to stand out because it meant taking responsibility. If your brain begins to come up with excuses for itself like: “If I wasn’t afraid, I would have performed better than everyone else,” know that this is a fear of responsibility.

It is very important not to let fear turn into a phobia. A phobia is a psychological disease that occurs against the background of a traumatic memory.

If a person was publicly ridiculed or insulted as a child, it will be very difficult for him to force himself to speak in public.

There are exercises that can help cope with anxiety, but if there is deep emotional trauma, you will need the help of a psychologist. Such treatment can take from several months to several years. It usually includes performing special exercises and regular visits to a psychologist.

Exercises for fear of public speaking

There are two types of techniques to overcome the fear of speaking in public:

Slow— allow you to overcome your insecurities step by step.
Fast- work on the principle: “If you throw a man in the middle of the lake, let him learn to swim.”

Slow way

Practice with friends

Gather all your friends at home and try to perform in front of them. This will be a loyal audience that will make you feel more confident. The main thing is to make presentations only on a topic that is interesting to your comrades.

Let’s imagine that you have always had an idea that solves certain problems of the team. Collect material, make slides and present it. Try to interest your listeners and don’t do yourself any favors!

Create a unique style

Every good speaker has a unique speaking style. You need an image that will be remembered by the audience. They should not forget it a day or even a week after the performance. This will motivate them to come to your seminar or training again.

To understand what a good image is, look at public people. Every outstanding politician has his own image. The main thing is that the role you choose matches your field of activity. It is unlikely that at a business presentation anyone will want to listen to a report from Petrosyan or Dzhigurda.

Try out a few looks in front of your friends and ask them which ones they liked best. Analyze the collected information, take into account mistakes and create a unique style.

Practice

Once you have a set of images, it's time to try them out real life. Attend all kinds of events where you will have the opportunity to speak in front of an audience. Join a discussion club, play in the theater, speak at meetings and consultations.

Fast way

Method number 1. “We sell!”

Have you ever met sellers of kvass, ice cream or candy in your city? Approach such a person and offer your help. Tell them that you are undergoing special training and need to practice sales techniques.

Your task is to increase sales through active actions. Remember, you are not selling a product, but a solution to a problem: “You’re hot - our ice cream will help you cool down,” “You’re thirsty - buy kvass, for just …” The main thing is not to be intrusive.

Conduct a dialogue with people, rather than trying to sell a product. For the exercise to be successful, it must be done three times in one day at different points.

Method number 2. “Ask stupid questions”

Each city hosts a variety of free exhibitions. Gather a group of like-minded people and start asking absurd questions to consultants. The weirder and more inappropriate the question, the better.

Method number 3. “We visit art exhibitions, installations, festivals and attract attention!”

For this exercise you will also need a group of like-minded people. This is a whole complex that will help you overcome fear in 2-3 lessons:

Enter the exhibition area in some unusual way: do a cartwheel, dance, pretend to be a robot.
Divide into several teams. Each team chooses one letter of the alphabet. Then you come to different people and ask them to stand in the shape of your letter. A memorable moment needs to be captured. The team that takes the most pictures wins.
Take any text and start reading it out loud in the middle of the hall or square. Your team members should actively interact with the speaker by providing comments, criticism, or support.

Attending 2-3 events will help you quickly get rid of the fear of speaking.

Fear of performances prevents a person from realizing himself. Any leadership position requires good public speaking skills. It's no surprise that people who want a promotion look for ways to overcome it.

There are a number of psychological techniques that help in this fight, among them:

relaxation and tension of all muscles by force of will;
a couple of sips of cold water;
provoked yawning;
transferring body weight from heel to toe and back;
a series of deep breaths;
jaw movements, cheekbone massage;
rubbing the palms;
fast step, gymnastics;
choosing the most comfortable position;
humming your favorite tune.

Some practical tips:

If you feel trembling in your knees or hands, make a movement as if shaking droplets of water from them.
It wouldn’t hurt to invite your loved ones to the performance. Their support will help you overcome your fear.
In a critical situation, simply admit that you are afraid and smile. The public appreciates honesty. But be careful. This move cannot be used twice.
In extreme circumstances, take special means like pills. To minimize the harm caused to the body, there is homeopathy. This is the branch of medicine that studies the effects natural substances on the human body. Aconite 200 C or Ignatia 200 C works best to help cope with a panic attack.

Fear of speaking is inherent in every person. To overcome it you need a lot of practice and the desire to become better. Special exercises, which force you to step out of your comfort zone and find the right words in absurd and ridiculous situations - the shortest and most effective path to performing without fear.

Video: An expert speaks

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