Saturday, September 12, 2009
Conquering Speech Anxiety
Communication Apprehension seemed to be a major focus in presenting speeches. Two important ingredients to effective speech delivery are reprogramming your "self talk" and putting in proper preparation so you really "know your stuff". Take a look at this clip. Then, post to the blog what your self talk sounds like and a portion of this interview that you identified with in your experience. What does your self talk sound like? What are three practical suggestions that you can give yourself to begin to conquer your speech anxiety?">
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When I start a speech I always feel nervous, but then I feed off the adrenaline to keep me going. The best way I take away the nerves is by practicing over and over so I know what I have to say. I use the flight-or-fight response to give me the motivation to finish my speech. That way, I know I have the audience’s attention. The things I tell myself before I speak are: “make sure I have eye contact”, “when I leave a place I want to feel like I made a difference”, “I can do this”, and “be open to any questions that anyone may ask me”. Three things I would do to conquer my speech anxiety would be to tell myself to take a deep breath before I begin to talk, and also speak slowly so that my audience can understand me. The last thing I would do is practice in front of someone else.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the clip, the part I identified with the most was the rush of adrenalin that people get when they are about to give a speech. When I get butterflies I get very nervous and have a hard time staying relaxed. My biggest problem is that I start talking too quickly and therefore forget to address many important points that support my outcome. Instead of using the adrenaline to my advantage, it usually has a negative effect on my speeches. In order to fight the urge to talk rapidly I tell myself “breathe, relax and slow down” and “take your time.” Many people would be surprised at how often I forget to breathe because I am so nervous! Also inspirational self-talk like “you can do it!” really works. In order to conquer my speech anxiety, I should first try some breathing exercises to get myself breathing regularly and ready to speak in front of a large group of people. A second tactic I should try is rehearsing my speech many times in front of people I feel comfortable around like my friends and family. This would help me get the timing and pace of my speech down for when I have to do it in front of more people. Also, when I am more familiar with the material I am presenting I am not as nervous. Lastly, I can try channeling my adrenaline rush more effectively. Instead of letting the adrenaline over power my body, I should use it to get energized and engage the audience. Overall, there were many useful tips in this clip that will help me overcome my speech anxiety.
ReplyDeleteDuring the clip I released that the adrenalin rush always works to my disadvantage because I get really nervous and start talking fast. Talking fast is my biggest issue because when I start talking fast it’s really hard to understand a word I’m saying because of my ascent and I start replacing words. If my audiences are students I tell myself we all here to learn and get better as an individual in that particular class so I shouldn’t be nervous because at the end of the day am learning and trying to be a better public speaker. Inspirations self-talk like “you done this before!” and “Just relax and take a deep breath!” really works for me. In order to conquer my speech I have to rehearse my speech two to three days before it’s due in front of the mirror or with people I feel comfortable around because that will help me remember and have an understanding of what am talking about. Secondly I have to channel my adrenalin rush to my advantage by using that energy to elevate my speech to my audience and motivate them if it’s a motivation speech or sell my speech to the audience. Lastly I have to make sure to not stress about it and remember to take deep breath and slow down when talking for my audience to understand a work I’m saying. At the end of interview I released getting nervous before a speech is normal and its how you conquer it that makes you a better speakers and also how you use your channels to motivate or get your audience interested in your speech helps in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the clip provided by Professor McManimon I could not help but identify with the section where they talked about adrenaline. Whenever I am speaking publicly I always feel that rush of adrenaline as my time to speak gets closer and I am never really sure what to do with it. I always start off nervous and eventually start feeding off of the adrenaline; I need to learn to do that from the start.
ReplyDeleteMy self-talk when I am speaking always seems to be me reassuring myself that I’m all right. I always seem to just be repeating over and over again that I can do it and that I know what I’m doing. I also always seem to be reassuring myself that the audience is on my side and that they are not hostile towards me.
As far as three suggestions to help myself calm down I think that I need to start taking control of my adrenaline. I always consider myself to be an adrenaline junkie so I should start seeing public speaking as no different that a roller coaster or something like that. Another way that I can help myself is by changing my self-talk from reassurance to confidence. I should be confident enough that I do not need reassurance right before I start my speech. Finally I need to calm down and realize that when speaking publicly you are not in front of a firing squad, I need to feel more comfortable and less hostile.
I always say to myself that public speaking doesn't really bother me, that I have been talking in front of people for most of my life, and that I love talking. Yet everytime it is time for me to get up in front of the class or a large group, my heart starts racing, and I start forgetting to breahte so that when I start talking I am so fixated on hoping that no one notices the physical strains that I forget what I wanted to say or how I wnated to say it. But what I find most interesting is that I always feel the most nervous AFTER I have given the speech and gone back to my seat.
ReplyDeleteA good way for me to try and help myself would be to self-talk before each time I speak. I try now to remind myself not to sway back and forth, or let my voice get shaky, but maybe I should try encouraging myself more than just nagging myself. My self-talk usually sounds like "you will be fine, it is will be done quick, you know these people, they want to see you succeed...But don't sway back and forth, remember what you have learned and keep your voice even because that will be the most obvious sign of nervousness."
The part of the interview that I most identified with was the part about even when you know what you are going to say, you still get hit with the anxiety. Often times I know my material, and I am fine until I get up to speak and then all of the eyes looking at me, I lose everything.
The best way I can help to conquer my speech anxiety would be to alter my self-talk so that I am giving myself more positive reinforcement, so that I am concentrating on all the positive aspects of what I am going to say and do rather than the negative. I also should probably rehearse in front of other people more often. Alot of the time when I practice before a speech, I just read the material through over and over again to myself, sometimes not even out loud. It might be more beneficial to gather a group of friends who I know will listen and give me good feedback. Lastly, I think breathing calmly after the speech will help keep my nerves down after I speak, because sometimes I am just as nervous about how I am going to feel after us I am before or during.
I identify personally with the comment the interviewer made about adrenaline causing a fight or flight reaction, in that the adrenaline causes a flight of information from my head and I have to fight to get it back. This has a huge impact on my self talk because I have to talk myself back to a place of remembering the information instead of focusing on getting my point across. The first thing I can do to correct this is to prepare more. I can sometimes be a procrastinator and that definately impacts my self-confidence going into a speech. Secondly, I need to find a way to better adapt to the adrenaline rush. I am not a thrill seeking sort of person so the adrenaline rush really takes over my body in a substantial way. If I could channel this energy in a more productive way it would make me a much better public speaker. Lastly, I need to correct my self talk. Often I will try to think about anything besides the speech I am about to give in the hopes that it will calm my nerves. This makes things worse though because I waste my last moment of preperation and it throws my concentration off. Correcting these problem areas would absolutely improve my public speaking.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mike Aguilera truly nails the worries of public speaking right on the head. The fear of public speaking has been imbedded in our society so deeply that to most, the sheer idea of it is nerve-racking. Self talk is very important in embracing your energy to be successful in your presentation. “I have done this before” and “Take a deep breath, slow down, I know this information forwards and backwards” are two slogans that I use to settle myself down. In order to ease any qualms before a presentation, it is crucial to rehearse. I related to Mike Aguilera’s discussion on rehearsal because I find if I know the information in my presentation inside and out, I will be more relaxed. Three practical suggestions I can give to conquer speech anxiety is not only to memorize your speech but to truly understand the topic, practice your speech in front of friends or family, and to confidently turn your butterflies and adrenaline into a positive boost. The fear of public speaking is common but once you harness the adrenaline, you can be very successful.
ReplyDeleteI notice that whenever I am about to do a speech my adrenaline kicks into full gear. Whether I am prepared or not, I always have that rush right before I stand up. I noticed they mentioned how important preparation is prior to a presentation. I can definitely identify with that because the majority of nerves come from a fear that I will not be able to convey to my audience my intentions of my presentation. Also, if I am uncomfortable with the information I am presenting and know I don’t have a full grasp on the material, I know “winging” a successful presentation is just not going to happen – and then comes in the adrenaline rush. So I know that in order to take control over my anxiety it has to start by recognizing what happens when I feel the anxiety and what makes me feel better. As mentioned, I’ve recognized that understanding the material that I am presenting is a huge comfort to me, so in other words preparation is crucial. As for that adrenaline rush I am trying out some new breathing techniques that I have learned. Recently I was told that by breathing in deep and repeating the words “Calm, calm, calm” and then exhaling out while repeating the words “Relax, relax, relax” really help calm the nerves. I have tried this already and have discovered that it really puts my mind and body in a state of relaxation and comfort. Lastly I have been working on what I like to call a “Reality Check.” This is when I realize that people either really do care about what you have to say so they are your own support team. Or, sometimes people are too distracted by their own needs – hunger, boredom, tiredness - to pay full attention. Therefore, before I go to speak, I know that if I were to stumble on a word or start shaking, most or all will not notice. If they do notice, what’s the worst that can happen? Nothing. By telling myself this, I feel more comfortable with the audience.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing the clip I realized that I use the adrenaline rush before a speech to my disadvantage. I tend to get so nervous and jittery before I deliver a speech rather than using the adrenaline and excitement as a tool. I should release the adrenaline to the audience and allow them to feel the rush in order to become more engaged in my speech. After all, the audience wants to hear what I have to say and the audience will listen more attentively if I am excited rather than anxious. My self-talk before a speech is constant reassurance. I tell myself that I need to relax and that it is just a speech. I tell myself I am talking to my peers and that there are worst things than public speaking. Three practical suggestions that I can give myself are that I need to work on the pace of my delivery. I tend to speak fast without even realizing it sometimes. In order to slow down my voice I need to rehearse my speech more often and take a deep breath before I begin. Another thing I need to work on is to start memorizing what I want to say and become confident in doing this. I always tend to write paragraphs on my notecards because I am always afraid I will forget important facts or points that I am trying to make. Again, practicing my speech in advance will aid in being confident without having my speech written word for word on a notecard. Lastly, I need to realize that I did research on the speech being presenting not the audience. I need to remind myself that I have the right facts and know the background knowledge. I get afraid that people will think what I am saying is wrong, but if I do solid research I will be fine.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video clip, I found that I could relate to a lot of the things Mike Aguilera was saying. When I get up in front of even a small group of people, I immediately get nervous, speak really fast, and stumble over my words and thoughts, even if I am really knowledgeable in what I am saying.
ReplyDeleteBased on the clip, I now know that my self talk is the complete wrong type of self talk that I should be giving myself before a speech. I dislike public speaking because of how uncomfortable it makes me feel, and therefore my self talk tends to be "just get it over with" or "just try your best" as opposed to "you can be a good speaker" or "just breathe and relax." Now I know that self talk is very important, and that my self talk needs to be altered. I need to tell myself to focus on the purpose of my speaking, and what I want the outcome to be. My self talk needs to be more positive in its nature, and maybe I will feel more successful when I speak.
In some ways, my discomfort with public speaking helps me, because it pushes to to "know my stuff" every time. I tend to overcompensate with my preparation of my speech content, because I know my delivery will not be as good. Therefore, I feel that I have no problem "knowing my stuff" before a speech.
Three practical suggestions that I would give to myself to help conquer my anxiety would be to reprogram my self talk to be more positive, rehearse more to practice using my adrenaline to my advantage, and to slow my speaking down to be more aware of the things I am saying. Following these three suggestions will hopefully make me a more effective communicator in public speaking settings.
I always feel confident about speech day. I sit in my seat and I say to myself, "Your not nervous, I don't even feel one butterfly". And honestly at that moment, I don't feel like I'm nervous, but as the time comes closer for me to speak, the hands get sweaty, leg starts to tremble, and I find myself rattled and second guessing myself. "Did I go over this enough?". "what was I supposed to say after this part?". Those are thoughts or self talk that runs through my mind as it is time for me to stand up and present. My self talk is usually quite negative and pessimistic.
ReplyDeleteI believe that is one my biggest problems when it comes to public speaking. My self talk makes me second guess myself which ultimately makes me nervous. I often believe I'm gonna mess up on my speech before it even happens. And then it happens.
I definitely identify with idea of adrenaline rush,which I've always thought were real butterflies, getting in the way of me being a successful speaker. However it doesn't feel much like adrenaline. Being on a roller coaster or being in speeding car feels much different than the before speech feelings.
So I guess the first advice I would give myself is stop beating myself up with my self talk. Use that adrenaline to my advantage and stay paced. The second thing I would tell myself is practice, practice, practice. I believe one of the reason my self talk is negative is because subconsciously I know I'm not as prepared as I could be and my conscious is going to let me know that. And Lastly, create a connection by initiating eye contact so as I peruse the room and catch each pair of eyes, its almost like I am speaking to each person individually. If it feels more personal, I'll slow down,take my time , and be more passionate in my words.
When most people think about public speaking, they are immediately reminded of the time right before they start a speech, when the adrenaline really kicks in and they start to get nervous. However, that adrenaline really should be a positive instead of a negative, much like Mike Aguilera said. During the “nervous” part of the adrenaline rush before a speech, it gives the speech giver a great chance to go over the various parts of their speech. When well prepared, this time can serve as both a final warm-up and a confidence booster. Then, once you start the speech, the adrenaline can be used to put more emotion into the speech. As Mr. Aguilera said, without adrenaline, speeches would be boring and completely lack emotion.
ReplyDeleteBefore I start a speech, I use my “self talk” to try and convince myself that I am prepared to give the speech. No matter what, I am going to be nervous before a speech. However, the more prepared you are, the less nervous you are going to get. Therefore, I try to know all the facts and angles about the topic of my speech before I prepare the speech.
My three techniques all involve preparation. The first is, as I previously stated, to know everything about the topic. The second is to try and figure out how other people may perceive your speech, based on opposing viewpoints. One of the main points of public speaking is to try to persuade people to your viewpoint. By having previous knowledge of others viewpoints, I feel more prepared to answer any and all questions about my topic in a way that is suitable to that individual. Finally, practicing a speech in front of a friendly crowd first always works. I get my friends that I trust to give constructive criticism in a group and I practice my speech. By doing that, I feel confident because I have already practiced my speech, gotten feedback on it, and improved it. By using all of those techniques, I feel like I have become a much better public speaker.
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ReplyDeleteThe first leap into the speech is the one that is most difficult to me. I self talk telling myself that "what I have to say is important" and that "It's not the first time I've talked to someone, only this time I'm talking to a group of people." I over stress myself trying to make sure I run down the list in my head of things that I need to make sure I am doing during the speech. I also always make to know my speech well enough so that I do not have to read off paper and it can all run off the top of my head but it seems like this never happens. I could really relate to that topic in the interview, were the anxiety comes to you all at once and you loose everything that you had prepared before. Sometimes I feel like being too prepared is worse than being underprepared because of all the stress you put on yourself.
ReplyDeleteMy personal way to overcome public speaking anxiety is to pretend that everyone in the audience are my room friends. One of the aspects that bothers me the most is that fact that for many of the people you are speaking in front of when you make a speech this is your first impression on them. If i get that off my mind then it becomes a little easier for me to continue. If i concentrate on the fact that they are judging me i do whatever i can to get my mind off it, which is most case becomes even more distracting. I do things such as fidget with my hands or sway back and forth when i talk. I try to stay focused on my "inner outline" which is almost like a written list inside my head of major points and ideas I know I want to cover during the speech. Another technique I use is I make sure to take a deep breath before i start speaking to remove any anxiety left in me which always seems to calm me down.
Over the past few years I have been given opportunities to speak in front of various audiences. One would think that my exposure to such situations would allow me to become more comfortable with public speaking; however, this has not been the case.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in the video, individuals usually experience an intense rush of adrenaline prior to speaking in front of an audience. When considering my past speaking situations, it was adrenaline that sometimes hindered my ability to effectively communicate. For example, I once gave a speech on the African diamond trade and the mining of conflict diamonds. I remember this speech in particular since the adrenaline was so overwhelming that my voice sounded shaky. When I noticed this, my nerves caused me lose track of my thoughts and I sounded unprepared. It was because of this situation that I am now able to take adrenaline and change it into something positive and helpful when communicating.
In order to conquer my fears of speaking in front of an audience I usually recite a few things in my head (i.e. self talk) to build my confidence. For example, I will remind myself of my through preparation and my knowledge of the topic. I say: “you are the expert right now,” or “you’ve practiced this speech many times, you will be fine!” In addition, I also think of the others around me who will shortly be in the same situation as me. This helps me realize that I am not the only person experiencing feelings of nervousness. Lastly, I remind myself to not speak fast and take pauses when needed.
After viewing this clip I have realized that utilizing the following three suggestions would allow me to conquer speech anxiety. First, I need to take adrenaline by the reins and remember that I am the one in control of my body and mind. The energy produced from adrenaline should be used in a positive way by expressing your excitement about the topic. Second, being overly prepared is better than being underprepared. This suggestion would force me to begin preparing well in advance and having at hand any information to back up my topic if a question were to be asked. Additionally, being over prepared could allow you to respond quickly to audience feedback. For example, if noticing a few individuals are having trouble grasping a concept, alternative material could be handed out or discussed to generate mutual understanding. Lastly, remembering to talk slowly and take pauses when needed would greatly help in speech delivery. I often find that I begin to speak fast when addressing an audience and never stop to just breathe. Taking advantage of this suggestion would allow me to gather my thoughts and compose myself before continuing on to the next point. By addressing these suggestions I feel that I would be able to take charge when presenting, ultimately resulting in a successful speech.
Public speaking is something we’ve all done time after time throughout our school years. I can’t say that I’m afraid of it but, I still get butterflies when it’s time for me to be in the spotlight. With that said, the part in the clip that mentioned the adrenaline rush is something that I can definitely identify with. When it is my turn to speak, I get a little nervous and I tend to speak fast hoping to hurry the speech along so I can just go back to my seat. As I’m rushing through my speech, I sometimes forget to breathe. Usually I’m thinking, “Breathe Lasha, breathe, you can do this. Just hurry up so you can go sit down!” There have been times that I’ve even forgotten important points and have had to return to the topic later on to readdress them. Some important suggestions that I could give myself are to relax. If I could just relax during my speeches, I wouldn’t rush through and forget to mention important points that I may have prepared. A second suggestion that I would give myself is to just be confident in knowing that my speech is good and that I am capable of delivering it effectively. Many times the whole reason I’m nervous and the cause of me messing up during a speech is completely my fault. When it’s time to speak, I need to have that confidence and stand before everyone as if I was about to deliver the best speech ever written. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for myself would be to breathe! I forget to breathe which in turn makes me even more nervous and causes me to trip up and stutter on my words.
ReplyDeleteOver the past two years in college, I have learned to slowly but surely overcome the fear of public speaking. I have been given many opportunities to practice public speaking in and out of the classroom. This is where I believe Mike Aguilera makes a great point that preparation is key in public speaking. I agree that if you are not prepared, you are more prone to get anxiety. I have learned through my experiences as a student and a leader that I need to be prepared before giving a speech and know what I am talking about. If I don't feel confident or knowledgable about the topic at hand, I get really nervous and my anxiety kicks in. I think that in terms of public speaking, practice is essential. Practice always helps me feel more prepared and it reminds me of the minor details that I need to remember while speaking.
ReplyDeleteThree suggestions that would help me enhance my public speaking skills would be to first take care of preparation prior to the day of a speech. Once I prepare for my speech I would recite my speech not so that I could memorize it but so that I can familiarize myself with it. Finally, the day of the speech I would try to remind myself of quick and important facts so that I won't get nervous.
In addition, I was told at a public speaking training to find a distraction that could help me seem calm and collective. One way for girls to avoid their anxiety to show by twirling their hair or swaying their hips...is to wear a ring and spin it while you are talking; not in a distracting way but in a suttle manner. As long as it is not obvious, the ring will help alleviate the anxiety.
Public speaking is one of my biggest fears. No matter how many times I practice, I can't get the fear out of me. I come off as a confident person when I'm sitting down in my chair, but as soon as I have to get up to speak to the crowd, my voice gets soft, I studder, I say "uhm," nothing works in my favor. Taking a speech class before, it taught me to practice infront of the mirror and infront of people I am comfortable with. But that doesn't help either.
ReplyDeleteFear aside, when my grade depends on it, I still go up there and try to do my best. The part of the clip that I identify with the most is the adrenaline rush. I feel like the adrenaline rush is what gets me up infront of the class every time. However, I hate the feeling of being nervous, so that motivates me to get up there and get it over with.
Self talk also helps, I say things like "I practiced this," "let me get this over with," "breathe, relax." I was also taught in my Intro to Speech class to close my eyes and breathe slowly and imagine going up there and giving a great speech.
I just read Natasha's comment about the ring twirling, I'm going to have to try that! That sounds like a great idea, since I always play with my hair while speaking.
I really hope this class gives the confidence I need to be a successful speaker.