Speaking in Public with Confidence
Many people get anxious and nervous when speaking in public. It can be nerves during customer presentations, at meetings or even at a social events, e.g. best person speeches, an eulogy. There is even a name for it Glossophobia.
In fact it is often quoted as being the number one fear, even above the fear of dying.
The typical symptoms are feeling anxious, loosing sleep the night before, ruminating and imagining the worse, increase in heart rate, sweaty palms, shaking leg and fear of the mind going blank and forgetting what to say.
I’m sure we have all felt some or all of those feelings
The GOOD NEWS is that the underpinning cause of public speaking anxiety are understood. You need not suffer!
Benefits of public speaking
In addition to the obvious benefits of having greater confidence in the world, the benefits of being a confident speaker can be found also in your career.
- Customer meeting and presentations
- Interviews.
Where does the anxiety come from?
The anxiety comes from our need to feel safe. From an evolutionary perspective we are safer in a tribe than alone. Unlike some predators we haven’t really got too much to defend ourselves. We don’t have sharp teeth, or claws, and we can’t really run very fast and we are not good climbers. Being part of a tribe compensations for that and keeps us safe. So it is good for us to have the good opinion of our peers.
With the above in mind, any anxiety or butterflies in our stomachs around public speaking are justified. The anxiety helps us be alert and perform at our best and keep our reputation in the tribe. However when there is too much nerves it can act against us and make us more vulnerable. That is when we need and typically reach out for help.
To find out how Hypnotherapy can help overcome those public speaking jitters contact ACT Hypnotherapy for a free consultation. You will learn how the mind works, how the anxiety is created and more importantly what you can do about it. Take the first small step to speaking with confidence by contacting ACT for a free consultation. (Click on the Free consultation)
Investment £295(6 sessions)
So how to be confidence with public speaking
The hypnotherapy approach
The hypnotherapy approach addresses the inner fear that has been unconsciously associated with speaking in public. Often that fear comes from when we were young, it could be a trait picked up indirectly from care givers in our lives, or it can even be something that has been picked up in later years after years of confidence.
The hypnotherapy approach addresses that fear by:
- Using neuro-science to explain what is going on in the brain that causes the fight / flight response. With understanding comes clarity and motivation to take action.
- We help desensitise any unhelpful memories which are causing that unwanted response.
- You will learn how to lower the anxiety to an appropriate level so that it’s useful.
- You will learn what to do with all those negative thoughts.
- You will be given a relaxation track to listen to before you go to sleep at night to help you relax and process negative thoughts.
Once those negative responses have subsided then the traditional strategies of training in public speaking are available. To develop competency in the art of public speaking we still need the know how, as well as practice (see below). However it all starts with a relaxed mindset.
To find out how Hypnotherapy can help over come those public speaking jitters contact ACT Hypnotherapy for a free consultation. Learn how the mind works, how we create anxiety and more importantly what you can do about it. (Click on the Free Consultation.)
Investment – A course of £295 ( six 1hr sessions)
Other Complementary Approaches
Other approaches which complement the above mindset approach are exposure to doing public speaking and training on how to do public speaking. Without the mindset set approach and addressing the deeper fear, taking these two traditional approachs may not work or may make things worse. However with the mindset approach in place the additional two approaches address the need for practice (to build additional confidence) as well as the know how of effective speeches and presentations.
Exposure
This is simply getting out and doing talks, presentations at every opportunity. The repetition and practice gives additional confidence providing further supporting evidence that public speaking is something you can do.
In extreme cases of public speaking anxiety, it is helpful to start with small unimportant meetings.
Note: Without the mindset approach, the underpinning public speaking anxieties could impact your public speaking performance. This could reinforce negative beliefs about public speaking.
Training
Even though the mindset approach reduces public speaking anxieties, there still is a need to learn the skills and strategies for effective speech / presentation delivery. Without that know how, the speech may not be effective. We live in the real world where opinions matter (i.e. peers, people of influence) and so getting it right is important. Effective presentation /speech trainings bridge the gap between a positive mindset and know how.
However without the mindset approach training on its own may not work.
To find out how Hypnotherapy can help over come those public speaking jitters contact ACT Hypnotherapy for a free consultation. Learn how the mind works, how we create anxiety and more importantly what you can do about it. (Click on the Free Consultation.)
Investment – A course of £295 (six 1hr sessions)