Many people are scared of speaking in public, because of the fear of embarrassment and making mistakes. The anxiety over mistakes makes the mistakes inevitable. When you have an anxiety, this is the biggest mistake of all. The professional speakers make mistakes sometimes either. However, they do not consider these mistakes as a major hindrance to success. The whole philosophy behind this is to accept that mistakes may happen sometimes, and to make sure you can recover from them fast enough.

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The proper way to get over a mistake is to observe it without excessive emotions, take appropriate action, restore your composure, and focus on what to say next. Thinking too much about an error and feeling bad about it simply adds up to the confusion. You have to leave it behind and move ahead.

One very important thing to bear in mind all the time is that you cannot please everyone in the audience. There will be some people who will think you are a moron for making a mistake, but many will not even notice it. Some will even admire you for the way you got over it so easy. Many will feel relieved to find out that at the end of the day you are human. Others will not care one way or another. Making mistakes will give you some useful feedback for improvement. Also mistakes will give you a single-trial learning, meaning that it is quite certain you will not make the same mistake again. You have to ask yourself the question: “What is the worst thing that will happen if I make a mistake during the speech?” Nobody will sentence you to death for making a mistake during your speech.

Individuals who are afraid of speaking in public see their oncoming speech as a social situation of complete failure and disaster. They visualize all the possible ways that will lead them to fail horribly. This is what the experts psychologists call a method of preparation of “negative anticipation”. Every time this happens, you have to shake yourself out and say, “stop it” clear and loud. Imagine that you are giving that speech the way you want to. If you anticipate success, it is very likely to achieve it. You have to mentally prepare that you are doing it confidently and smoothly to an appreciating audience. Do not worry about your performance and be excited about the subject of your speech. Think about the importance of what you have to say to the others and that they want to hear about it.

You have to love your listeners. If you wish your audiences to like you, you have to like your audience first. Leave the past behind, especially the bad experiences. A person may have an anxiety of speaking because of embarrassing incident in the past, quite often in the childhood. Events like this can be very traumatizing for children and adults as well, and can lead to a long and paralyzing fear. If you had such an incident and it is at the bottom of your fear, visit an expert specialized in dealing with phobias. Remember that phobias are nothing to be ashamed of. Researches show that 80% of people have at least one in a lifetime. Phobias are curable, just need to be diagnosed correctly and the appropriate therapy has been applied.

Before speech, you need to get some rest and avoid hassles. Where possible, avoid stressful events that could worsen your ability to concentrate and speak calmly and with the necessary confidence. Try to avoid mood-altering substances. Eat lightly, or not at all, one hour before speaking because a full stomach can lower your energy level and concentration. Get your best look, take some time with your appearance. Looking good will contribute to your confidence. And remember to breathe. The anxiety contracts the muscles in the chest and throat. If you have a restricted airway and not enough oxygen, your voice will start squeaking. The deep breathing delivers enough oxygen to the lungs and brain and expands the throat and chest.

We all need to realize that fear is a natural survival mechanism. Fear may motivate us, or have exactly the opposite effect on us. In life threatening situations fear motivates us to be careful, but it also can be a huge problem when it interferes with our goals and achievements. Our success depends on the way we conduct ourselves according to the rewards we want, rather than the things we fear.

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