| Now is a good time to educate yourself on the hard skills required of a travel counselor. But what about the soft skills?
Does the thought of making a public presentation make your heart race and your palms sweat? Not only is that perfectly normal, it’s actually a very good thing!
If you have ever given a public presentation, you’ve probably experienced some degree of speaker anxiety: that feeling of nervousness or apprehension you get just before you deliver a speech. Strangely, many people think they are alone in feeling this way. The truth is that, to some degree, everyone experiences speaker anxiety when presenting in public.
Why are so many people uncomfortable with public speaking? Fear of failure. Fear of being judged. Fear of forgetting what they’re supposed to say. Fear of exceeding their time limit. Fear of losing their voices. Fear that the equipment won’t work. What causes it? Mostly lack of confidence and experience.
Being anxious about speaking in front of others shows that you understand the importance of the presentation. And the good news is that, if properly channeled, speaker anxiety gives you the energy to give a dynamic presentation.
When you experience speaker anxiety, you have two choices: You can let the tension control you – making your knees knock and your hands shake – or you can control and release the tension by using it constructively through gestures, facial expression, and body movement.
Here are five tips on controlling speaker anxiety:
- Speak often. Develop confidence by volunteering to read meeting minutes, summarizing projects to fellow employees, and offering opinions during workshops.
- Choose topics you care about. A strong desire to communicate about a topic of interest to you will relieve a great deal of speaker anxiety.
- Prepare thoroughly. An unprepared speaker has good reason to be anxious. Without thorough preparation, you can’t communicate effectively with your listeners.
- Practice. Practice cannot be overemphasized! Practice your entire presentation out loud, including using support media. Time your presentation to make sure it is not too long or short. If possible, practice in the room where you will be speaking. Record or videotape yourself giving the presentation. Recruit friends, coworkers, or family members to listen and critique you.
- Prepare yourself for success. Close your eyes and imagine yourself giving your presentation sincerely and dynamically from beginning to end. Imagine your audience reacting positively.
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