Transcript Controlling Speech Anxiety - Professional Communications

Controlling Speech Anxiety
• The Problems with HIGH Speech Anxiety...
• People with high speech anxiety often
avoid communication.
• They are rarely perceived as leaders.
• Others may have negative perceptions of
them since they seem uneasy.
• BUT people with high anxiety can be
taught how to manage their anxiety!
Tips & Tricks to Reduce Your
Speech Anxiety
• Prepare ahead.
• Realize it exists. What are your fears?
Make a list of your fears. Now look to see
what is realistic, what is not? Would the
entire audience REALLY begin pointing,
laughing, and mocking you? Probably
not. Could you drop your cards, yes.
What would you do? How about pick
them up? See…you can plan how to
respond to realistic fears.
• Practice breathing and relaxing. Most fear
can be reduced by deliberate slow
breathing. Breath with the diaphragm.
One way to remember how is: Breath in
Big Baby Belly…Breath out Belly In. Plan
and practice your breathing. Try
visualization exercises.
• Don’t clench your fists or lock your
knees…boy that will bottle the stress right
in!
• What can you do to minimize your
symptoms?
• PRACTICE!
• Use Visual Aids – PowerPoint, Posters,
Objects, Videos, etc. help you remember
segments of your speech and help you to
move to that area physically and mentally.
Use items that are familiar and make you
feel good. Make sure you practice with
them and have taken time to prepare them.
A poorly designed and sloppy visual aid
will increase your anxiety, not reduce it.
• Have a “gimmick” for each part of your
speech…role-plays, skits, poems, music,
etc. This helps you to look forward to
different areas of your speech.
• How about audience participation…close
your eyes, imagine this…
• Might you use a “helper?” However, the
helper might be very nervous and cause
more harm than good.
• Movement helps breathing! Plan and
practice your movement. The most logical
times to move would be during the
transitions of your speech.
• Get support! Talk to your teacher, a
friend, another student in the class, a
counselor, etc.
• Have Realistic Goals! Some folks do not
completely eliminate speech anxiety, but
instead learn to reduce it or manage it. Set
goals and make specific plans for each
section of your speech…For example,
know what you should do in the
introduction, then maybe plan to walk to a
visual aid to help you BREATHE!
• Think positive thoughts! Don’t
engage in self-sabotage…some
people will get “stuck” during the
brainstorming process of finding a
topic because nothing seems
interesting enough to talk about. We
are not that critical! Try to find a
topic you can feel comfortable, but
remember any topic can be good or
bad, it is how you develop and use
the topic!
• Know your Topic.
• Know your Audience.
• Know Yourself.
• Know your Speech.
• Focus on your Message, not yourself.
• Recognize your value and uniqueness.
• “Never let them see ya sweat!”
• Walk CALMLY. Don’t race up or down.
• Wait, don’t begin until you are ready. Take
a few minutes to look over your notes, say
your first sentence to yourself, take a deep
breath, and then begin!
• Don’t “pack up” before you are done.
• Look to friendly folks. Can you bring a
friend with?
• Take breaks with pauses, use movement
(walk to your visual aids).
• Practice, “Concepts not Words.”
• DON’T MEMORIZE! Try extemporaneous
style. This means, reduce your script to a
key-word outline, constantly practicing
reducing the notes and reducing the notes
to keywords. Eventually you might not
even need notes.
• Exercise. Try walking before your speech.
More strenuous exercise should take
place much earlier in the day, not just
before your speech. Stretch your muscles
throughout your body. Try isometric
exercise (tense the muscle group, hold,
release). Make a “Lion Face” and a
“Mouse Face” to loosen up your facial
muscles. Make fists, hold, release. Try
shoulder rolls/lifts.
• You might warm up your voice: “my
mama makes me eat my m and m’s” …you
could even sing this up and down the
music scale if you are brave or alone in
your car!
• Avoid chocolate, milk and other
substances that will cause your mucus to
form…yuck! Water is always good. Not
too much, you might need to use the
bathroom…enough said.
• Caffeine is bad. Again, enough said…
• "Fake it until you make it” some folks say.
Why not just pretend you are not afraid?
“Act as if…” is another cliché some
people use. Act as if you are not afraid.
• Dress for success. Wear your favorite
outfit (it must be appropriate though…no
belly shirts, etc.).
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. AND
don’t take your shoes off while
speaking…sure, it sounds like common
sense, but many people do!
• Watch your classmates and learn. DO
NOT compare yourself to them and “put
yourself down.” It seems in life there is
always someone you would like to be like,
but there is someone saying the same
thing wishing they could be like you!
• Remember, this is just a speech! Really, it
is just a speech. You are a full person
outside of this role as a speaker. You have
friends and family, or at least a dog that
loves you! Too many of us judge
ourselves based upon too narrow of a
role.
• Can you work harder on the outline,
visual aids, etc. to help boost your
sense of what you have
accomplished?
• At the end of your speech, look out
to the audience and nod your
head…just like the gymnast who
places her or his hands triumphantly
up in the air whether the
performance was good or bad!
• Try the “Stop and Calm Technique.”
• For those of you who “Stop and
Calm” does not work, remember
there is a role for professional help.
You can use what is called,
“systematic desensitization.” ASK
FOR HELP! THERE IS HOPE!
Trembling hands
• Use a 3x5 note card
• Hold note card with both hands
Stumbling over words
• Deliberately slow down your speaking rate
until the problem disappears
Not enough breath
• Speak slowly
• Take longer pauses between sentences
• Breath from your diaphragm through your
nose
Unwillingness to look @
audience
• In the beginning do not look @ individuals
• Look slightly to one side of the audiences
faces
• Later, pick the friendliest face in the
audience & look at their face
Excessive perspiration
• Ignore it
• Do not call attention by wiping your face or
hands
Cold hands & feet
• Make some platform movement
• Make gestures
Hoarse or squeaky voice
• Concentrate on breathing
• Ignore it
Dry mouth
• Speak slowly to avoid getting tongue tied
• Do not lick you lips in front of the audience
Tense muscles
• Use platform movement
• Use gestures
Cramps, butterflies, & stomach
noises
• Remember that the audience is not normally
aware of these things
• Ignore them as much as possible
Wanting to return to your seat
• Resist this feeling at all costs
• Practice will lessen the feeling
• Don’t start heading for your seat before the
speech is finished
Feeling inferior
• Try dressing for the speech
• Make sure you feel good about you before
you reach the stage