How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking: 3 Tips

Learn how to speak confidently in front of a crowd with these three tips from speech instructor Steven D. Cohen.

[MikeMessiah]

I get so nervous during speeches and class presentations. If i have a presentation tomorrow, i start rehearsing my speech in my mind and my heart already starts beating like crazy. Like i am at home, the presentation is tomorrow, and i am trembling with fear already :(

[homelybiscuit]

Every time I try and learn techniques to reduce my anxiety about public speaking, it makes me really anxious and I feel my heart start beating faster. What even man.

[MrDragonOG]

I did a presentation in college today and it was my real first successful presentation. I have had presentations in the past where I have had a panic attack prior to the presentation and my voice would shake. Just tell yourself that your going to do great and believe it. Also practice, practice, and practice. Knowing your material and what your going to say at all times will increase your confidence. When I went up my heart was pounding, I took a minute to calm myself then I started. Introduce yourself and try to make your presentation as funny as possible, when you get your classmates to laugh it is a lot easier. When you get going the anxiety goes away and it's super easy, it's just like having a conversation with your classmates! Hope I can help

[JohnVictoria]

This is great! Visualization and relaxation techniques (never heard of the 't-repeater' before) are two I haven't used much before. But the camera technique is something I've done for AGES. Thank you so much for the value you created!

[RebeccaAbraxas]

thanks for the tips! I like what you said about joy. These days we are inundated with speakers whether on you tube, webinars or lives classes. When someone's sense of"Why" and "Joy is is not intact in their speaking it sure can be hard to take in the message .... Another tip for releasing anxiety is pausing after the exhale, This will activate the parasympathetic nervous system to help your students get out of that fight or flight they may be in.. Wishing you the best at Harvard!

[rellhayes]

such a great resource for public speaking, thanks Steve!

[robvikingoneaviation]

Good tips from Mr Cohen. As a toastmaster public speaker for 15 years, I can add that you must keep practising speaking and record yourself every time to see how you are doing.

[gimabelcruz]

In my opinion, I have the fear of speaking because sometimes people stare at me and I get nervous or I can't express correctly a word in English and I know I'm making a mistake. I am going to apply the first tip because imagining that I am doing well, that I can finish speaking correctly, helps me to relax and not worry about the people around me.

[mahfuzarrahman]

this is best video to me that clearly described everything.

[iigyy]

My voice always shakes when I speak in front of the class or public:( what should I do to stop it?

[PINKGIRAFFE]

MY HEART BEATS IS LOUDDER THAN MY VOICE

[katherinepetrova]

That was really helpful especially the practise technique.thank you.

[okay]

this makes me nervous and i wasn't this nervous before

[LiquidSasha]

I have been analyzing and trying to figure out this myself and can confirm he is 100% right.

[jyustyncastillo]

EFL_ In my opinion, I am afraid of speaking in public because I am a little shy about it and I get very nervous when speaking in front of people, I even forget what to say and I can feel uncomfortable. In general the tips you give us are very good but the one I would apply is about the relaxation technique to be able to speak calmly in front of people and feel more confident.

[kolyxix]

excellent advice. drove home the right point

[Publicspeakingskillsuniversity]

Good advice. If you know how you will start your presentation and how you will conclude it the pressure that creates our fear of speaking is greatly reduced.

[benjisimooroo]

What’s really smooth is I’m presenting in 1 minute hahahahaha

[JosephAsuquo-boby]

In college when I was to do my presentation, that was my first time.i couldn't even look at my audience straight away.but a time came that I built myself in the area where
1.i have to use my friends to help myself
2.all so talk to myself in the mirror.i think that really helped me😊❤

[Geoffreyowenprofile]

These tips are helpful I think and yet approach 'public speaking' from the current context or received awareness of what is expected or assumptions of how to do something. It's a have do be world out there....and our behaviour is informed by it....like a shaking voice...etc....Just like these tips are doing they are asking you to have or aquire certain 'things' to do so that you can be a better speaker. My work begins with creating a new paradigm or context around speaking and asks the question who do you need to be and allow the beingness to inform your behaviour so that you can have yourself be recieved as the speaker you need to be...more of a be do have world. Uncertainty creates fear and the resultant behaviour is survival based which creates a challenge and also beliefs. A beleif is the meaning given to a meaningless event....fascianting subject and thanks for the video!