How to overcome stage fright when making a speech

How should you overcome stage fright
Delivering a speech in front of an audience requires preparation, poise and purpose. In order for you to overcome your fear of speaking in front of an audience on top of a platform or stage, you have to practise, practise and practise!

How should you practice in order to do so? Find out in the following paragraphs...

1) Preparation
Public speaking occurs in a more formalised and organised setting. Typically, if you are called upon to speak in public, there must have been a reason for it. There must have been a theme or topic that you are called upon to speak and there should be a reason why you are up there on the stage. Prepare yourself by finding out what topic are you requested to speak about. Find out who makes up the audience. What are their preferences and likes or dislikes. How big is the room? What are its acoustics like etc.

Prepare by knowing all there is to know about the topic, audience and venue. You also need to draft and prepare your speech weeks if not days before the event and know what and how you are going to deliver your speech well.

2) Poise
When you go up to a stage to deliver a speech, you are giving a performance. In an audience larger than 2 or 3, it is a public performance that demands the very best from you. If you want to ensure that your message is received by the audience clearly and confidently, you have to build up your poise on the stage. Adequate preparation helps reduce some of the fear of making mistakes up on the stage. But more importantly, it is to stick with your prepared speech gameplan, i.e. to have an impactful OPENING, followed by the 2-3 main points for your speech BODY (if it is a typical 5 to 7 minute toastmaster speech) and end with a sharp CONCLUSION that is appropriate to your topic and purpose of your speech.

Poise also comes from practice and from dressing appropriately and well for the occasion. If it is a formal event, a suit or tie for gentlemen and pant/skirt-suit may be what is called for. Dress sharp so that you look sharp and appear confident.

3) Purpose
Why are you up there on the stage delivering a speech? Is it to INFORM the audience? Is it to PERSUADE them to a way of thinking or making a decision? Is it to INSPIRE them to lofty ideals and vision?

Your speech must support its purpose. To persuade you need logic plus emotional appeal. To inform, you need facts, figures and authoritative references that are blended to meet the needs of the audience. To inspire the audience you must build up emotional connection and pull the audience into WHY they should GO BEYOND where they are at now.

Since you are up on the stage and are taking up others time and attention, you should give back something of value in your speech to them. One of the greatest gifts that you can give someone is the gift of your time by paying attention to what they are saying. If you want your audience to pay attention, then your speech needs to have some value to them that they will learn something new, have a different or enlarged perspective on an issue or be moved to act to make their lives even better.

Stage fright is something every public speaker faces. The tension in the stomach, the nervous energy and cold sweat... It's normal! But once you have taken hold of the 3Ps in preparation, poise and purpose, you can chase the stage fright away and replace it with confidence, clarity and conviction that will not only move you, it will move the audience.

You can do it, if you put the techniques into practice.

Speak well, live well.