Meet the Audience to Reduce your Speaking Fear
Do you currently fear public speaking, but find that you are relatively comfortable when speaking up during a meeting to make a point? If so, your anxiety about public speaking may only appear when you are required to make a more formal presentation or speech. In this case, like most people, you may be more nervous when there is an audience focusing solely on your for a period of time. This type of public speaking anxiety can be increased further if you are due to present in front of people who you do not know. One way to help reduce reduce your anxiety, is to find ways to connect with your audience in advance of your presentation.
Try to arrive early and say hello to as many of the audience as possible. If you are hosting an event, welcome people at the door and share a few words with them. You will find that talking to audience members in advance can reduce your nerves. It helps you to remember that the audience is comprised of a collection of individuals with their own issues and concerns.
By talking to different people, you will find that they are all perfectly friendly human beings and not the ‘audience monsters’ that you may be otherwise tempted to create in your imagination. When you begin your presentation, make eye contact first with people you know and the people you met beforehand. As you develop in your speaking career and ultimately overcome your fear of public speaking, you will find that connecting with the audience before a presentation is a real help in building rapport to get your message across.
