How to conquer your fear of public speaking

If the idea of speaking in front of a large crowd makes you quiver and shiver, hopefully, you will find solace in the fact that you’re not the only one who is feeling the jitters. I should know because the first time I offered classes on public speaking many years ago, many showed up in their eagerness to learn how to conquer their fear of speaking before the public.

Glossophobia, a term that refers to the fear of public speaking, manifests when you are expecting to ascend on stage to make a speech or do a presentation in front of many people. Fear of public speaking can prevent you from sharing your ideas or presenting your work that can affect your growth --- personally and professionally, with ease and clarity.

I am once again holding public speaking classes called The Huddle, which commenced with a trial session last September at the Conrado Benitez Hall of Philippine Women’s University (PWU). It was attended by students, colleagues in the academe, entertainment editors and writers, and personalities from various industries.

In my public speaking classes, I don’t “teach” people how to speak before the public but I help them discover their power to tell their own story. But if you come to my class and you say that you want to be the most brilliant, eloquent public speaker, well, you need 10,000 classes to be able to develop the kind of speaker you’re talking about. What is important is for you to eventually realize that the best teacher in public speaking is yourself because the most powerful tool that you use in public speaking is your story and that story is unique.

In 2018, when Catriona Gray represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe held in Thailand, she sent me a text message asking if I could send her a quote that would help her introduce herself during her grand entrance. I sent her a quote from Maya Angelou, “I come as one, I stand as 10,000.” Catriona was so brilliant that she paraphrased it to, “I come as one, I stand as 104 million Filipinos.”

It reflected how Catriona stayed connected to her core. And that’s what I meant about telling your own story. Public speaking is staying connected to your truth. That’s what public speaking is all about.

Public speaking is both an art and a skill. If you ask if it can be learned, yes. Can I be a better public speaker? Yes. Can I be a perfect public speaker? No. No one is. One must be willing to explore, willing to experiment, and willing to go that space beyond what is common and what is familiar because beyond that is an exciting space where magic happens. Thus, there is really nothing to fear about speaking in public.

What seems to be the problem of many about public speaking is not about eloquence, especially in the Filipino culture. The biggest problem with public speaking is the fear of being judged and being devalued.

In public speaking, we are all equal. Let’s create an environment of a no-judgment zone. That zone will allow you to rise and fall and commit mistakes and do good and master it.

Do not ever come to my class with a mindset that says, “I’m not gonna try because I’m not good enough.” Do not allow anybody to devalue your worth. Do not allow anyone to invalidate your presence. And do you know who often does that? Ourselves.

The fear of public speaking stems from that awry thought that you are going to mess up, that you’re going to commit mistakes. That’s fear and when you repeatedly do that, it becomes anxiety.

Oftentimes, we focus on our weaknesses because what is stored in our brain are the bad experiences. And based on scientific research, people can change their mindset.

So, instead of remembering your humiliating experiences, try to change that with happy memories or joyous moments in life. Your brain will believe you. That’s how powerful our brain is. Refocus your brain.

Fear and anxiety can come from negative evaluations by others. People laugh at you when you mispronounce words or if your English grammar is wrong. One tip is you have to prepare, plan and know everything you want to say in the first line especially if you’re a first-timer. Go to the things you can control.

Remember to breathe. Prior to the lecture during the trial class, participants were taught a number of breathing exercises that can help calm the mind and increase lung capacity. Bong Quintana, one of the three workshop facilitators, demonstrated the first set of breathing exercises. Anxiety can be reduced by taking slow inhalations, and slower exhalations with brief pauses in between.

The engaging and interactive public speaking exercises “Talking from the Gut or Gut Talk,” “Word Conversations” and “Instinct and rationality wordplay” help in making you a better communicator.

For those looking to improve their public speaking abilities, taking public speaking classes is certainly well worth considering. The huddle will be offered at the PWU sometime in 2024.