 Jerry Seinfeld once quipped that most people at a funeral would rather be in the coffin than give the eulogy. Does that describe your feelings about public speaking? Don't worry, you're not alone. Speech anxiety is a major issue for most beginning speakers. In this video we'll address what speech anxiety is and provide some tips for reducing and managing that nervousness. So why is speech anxiety, which is sometimes called communication apprehension, such a large issue for so many of us? Well there are lots of factors that can come into play for different people. Things like shyness and introversion, fear of scrutiny or criticism, discomfort at the idea of being watched or examined, and negative prior experiences in public speaking can all result in varying levels of speech anxiety. When one or more than one of these elements is in play it can trigger the fight-or-flight response causing adrenaline to be released and take that nervousness to all new levels, creating a kind of snowball effect for your anxiety. The good news is that this is all completely normal. Once you know what to expect, there are steps that you can take to reduce and manage your anxiety about public speaking. That's the real message of this video, so let's get straight into discussing some of those strategies. Before we get to some tips on reducing nervousness when giving a speech, let's talk about two common mistakes that you should avoid. First, don't start your speech with a comment about how nervous you are. It's perfectly understandable for a speaker to be nervous, but there's no need to draw attention to your nervousness by saying, I'm really nervous, and pointing it out to the audience. Another popular but ineffective strategy for combating nervousness is to picture the audience naked or in their underwear. Not only is this not helpful in managing your anxiety, it can be a distraction for the speaker and generally uncomfortable for everyone. Now that we know what not to do, let's talk about some effective strategies for reducing nervousness when giving a speech. Our first tip is to acquire speaking experience. The more speaking you do and the more positive experiences you have with public speaking, the less anxiety you will feel about doing so in the future. This is not to say that it will happen in large leaps or all at once. Every time you speak, though, you'll feel a tiny bit less nervous about doing it in the future. Over time, those tiny bits will add up to larger bits and you'll be on your way toward confidence as a speaker. Preparation and practice is another critical piece in reducing nervousness about public speaking. Being thoroughly prepared and allowing ample time and opportunity to practice your speech will exponentially increase your confidence leading up to your speech. Good speech preparation includes things like thoughtful development and organization of the main points and other content, research and creating presentational aids. When you practice your speech, be sure to do so in a way that resembles the actual speech as much as possible. By this, I mean practice it out loud so that you get comfortable saying the words and can work on the desired inflection, vocal variety and elements of physical delivery. You should also incorporate any presentational aids that you will use during the speech into your practice so that you can use them comfortably and smoothly during the speech. As silly as this may sound, it can help to think positive thoughts about public speaking. Focus on the positives that can come from the experience. You could make a good impression. You could change someone's mind on the topic. You could help someone understand a concept better. You might even have a little fun. Whatever the case, try to associate the public speaking process with good things. There are some other things that you can also do to reduce your nervousness about speaking in public. Visualizing success can be helpful. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine your speech going well. Your introduction goes smoothly and people are interested and engaged. You're nailing your main points. Your evidence is solid and your citations enhance your credibility. Your conclusion has a clear impact on the audience and they all applaud loudly after your speech. Don't you feel better about all of this already? It's also important to remember that your nervousness is not really that evident to the audience. It's always way worse in your mind and inside your body than it is on the outside. Don't believe me? The next time you give a speech in class, ask your neighbor to write down how nervous you look on a scale from one to ten. After your speech, you write down a number that represents how nervous you felt. I'll bet that your neighbor's number is at least a couple numbers lower than yours. Nerves show up way more on the inside than they do on the outside. All of that nervous energy doesn't have to be a bad thing either. There are ways that you can channel it into positive effects. Nervous energy can help you be more lively and animated during your speech. You can also release some of that excess energy through gestures and other appropriate movement. Just be sure that your movement doesn't become a distraction during the speech. You should also have realistic expectations for your speech. Your audience doesn't expect perfection from you and you shouldn't get too hung up on it either. When mistakes happen, take them in stride, fix it if necessary, and then move on. If nothing else, you can take comfort in knowing that you are not alone in all of this. Most, if not all, of your classmates are experiencing the same kinds of nervousness that you are. You're in good company. Even more importantly, remember that your classmates and instructor are pulling for you. They want you to be successful and they're cheering for you. They can't do it out loud because that would be distracting, but believe me, they're cheering for you. Another mental exercise that you can practice to reduce nervousness about speaking is to engage in cognitive reframing. Don't think of it as giving a huge and complicated presentation. Think of it as a conversation where you just happen to be talking to more than one person. You are also doing the audience a favor with your speech by sharing important information with them. We have just a few final tips for reducing nervousness. The first is to use presentational aids. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of the audience looking at you the whole time, then using aids can help by giving them something else to focus on for a moment or two. You can also involve the audience in your speech. This can help with framing the speech as a conversation in your mind. And like using presentational aids, it can put the eyes of the audience on something else for a moment. Believe it or not, making eye contact with the audience can help reduce nervousness. First, establishing eye contact with individuals will help you picture the speech as a conversation with individuals rather than a big scary presentation to an audience. Eye contact is also a great way to gather positive feedback, which can help with confidence. Finally, making eye contact can also make you appear more confident, which in turn can make you feel more confident. Your nervousness about public speaking can also be reduced by simply projecting confidence. The technical communication terminology for this is fake it till you make it. Projecting confidence, even when you don't really feel confident, can sort of trick your mind and body into following along and eventually believing that you are confident. In a sort of trickle down effect, it will also help the audience believe in you, which in turn will give you more confidence. As I just mentioned, sometimes you have to fake it till you make it. Can you think of some ways that you can project confidence as a speaker, even when you're not necessarily really feeling that confidence? Why don't you jot some ideas down? Go ahead, I'll give you a moment. If you need more time to think about ways that you can project confidence as a speaker, feel free to pause the video now. Otherwise, let's continue. Finally, you can take steps to minimize the visible signs of your nervousness by recognizing how it shows up for you. For example, if you tend to blush during speeches, then don't wear red and stay away from v-neck shirts and tops. If you get butterflies the size of jumbo jets in your stomach, watch what you eat on the day of the speech and avoid caffeine as much as possible. Do you tend to sweat a lot while you're speaking? Then don't wear a light colored shirt for your speech. If you tend to fidget with your hands, then clear objects away from the speaking area, empty your pockets, avoid wearing necklaces, bracelets and other loose jewelry, and use note cards instead of full size sheets of paper. Being self aware about how your nervousness may come out will allow you to take steps in advance to control your anxiety and minimize those effects. In this video, we discussed what speech anxiety is, and provided some tips for reducing and managing that nervousness. Check out some of our other videos for more insight into the public speaking process.