Do you know the fourth biggest fear most people have in the world is of snakes. The third biggest fear is going to jail. The second biggest fear is death. But the biggest fear that most people have is of facing the audience.
In the past 17 years ever since I have become Public Speaking trainer, lot many people come to meet me before joining my course and all of them have the same complain that in spite of being practicing lawyers, CAs, Doctors for 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, they can’t even speak on the same profession. While they are sitting in their office, they can speak but as soon as they have to stand on stage, they start getting jittery.
This fear of facing audience is called Glassophobia.
If you want to learn swimming? First You will have to take the plunge…
If You want to learn driving? You will have to sit on the driving seat..
If You want to become a batsman? You will have to hold the bat and practice on the ground under the guidance of a trainer.
Similarly if you want to become confident? You will have to face the audience again and again and again and soon you would stop becoming shy.
I know you don’t want to become a politician, don’t want to become PM of our country, or Modi. You don’t want to go up on stage but addressing audience is the shortest and the quickest way to become confident, bolder, bindaas and famous.
And I have entailed nine quick steps, which can make you confident.
Step No. 1
Sitting down is easy but the moment you stand up, you lose confidence right?
So, do the opposite. Stand up and speak while facing audience and stand up and speak while practicing at home also.
Step No 2
What makes you under-confident? Facing audience? Come out of your comfort zone and do the opposite. Face the audience as often as you can.
Step No 3
If looking into the eyes of the people who are sitting in front of you make you jittery, then do the opposite to overcome it.
Look straight into their eyes. Don’t look over their head or on the ground.
What I mean is you have to do everything that you are scared of doing. Let those ghosts out of the closet and face them.
Your hands shake while facing an audience and you end up clasping them in front of you.
Now what should you do to build up your confidence?
Yes! Do the opposite!
When practicing at home or while facing audience, don’t clasp your hands or lock them or hide them behind your back.
Let your hand movements be visible to your audience. And the best part is the more you keep your hands away from your body, the more confident you become.
Let me repeat this statement; the more you keep your hands away from your body the more confident you become.
However, you need to be careful also. Strike a balance between confidence and over confidence.
Step No. 4
You are scared of facing intelligent audience, profound audience, or while speaking to your boss. Now here, you need to be careful, you have to do the opposite but go slow about it.
First you need to start with ordinary and smaller audience, once you start gaining confidence, then gradually, move on to facing bigger and profound audience.
Step No. 5
You are scared of intelligent audience and you are scared of new audience.
Come out of your comfort zone. Face audience and face different and new audience every time.
Let me remind you that you have to have different friends while practicing at home also.
Step No 6
“Speaking in front of mirror gives confidence.” Now this is a myth.
A mirror does not have eyes; it cannot assess you nor can it give you feedback. For initial practice, the mirror technique can be implemented but just at the initial stage of public speaking only.
You need to practice in front of live audience who can give you feedback. And this will enhance your confidence.
Step No. 7
Now when you face audience speaking loudly makes your fault audible and visible to your audience, hence you speak slowly.
So do the opposite… speak loudly but not too much. It would definitely make you confident and bolder.
Step No 8
Since beginning I have been suggesting you to do things more and more, practice more and more.
I am going to tell you what you have to lessen while facing audience.
While facing audience, you tend to speak fast.
The word delivery is more than required.
But you would have to reduce your rate of speech.
You speak fast, you fumble and fumbling makes you lose confidence. Hence, speak loudly but word delivery should be less. Control your rate of speech.
These are some of the tips for becoming CONFIDENT while facing audience.
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