Public speaking anxiety is one of the most common anxieties there is. Even the most successful speakers may have at one time been afraid to speak in public. Speaking in public can refer to one on one conversation or speaking to an audience. Public speaking help is available if you would like to become a more successful speaker.
If you suffer from a fear of public speaking, you are probably familiar with some of the symptoms that occur when you are faced with public speaking such as perspiration, dry mouth, shaking, a rapid heartbeat, and other physical symptoms. Sometimes, the occurrence of these symptoms can trigger more anxiety. If dry mouth occurs when you are faced with public speaking, have some water available to make sure your mouth does not get too dry. You may feel as if these symptoms are particularly visible but really, there is a good chance your audience does not even notice. Some individuals in your audience probably have public speaking anxiety as well.
If you are looking for more personalized public speaking help you can hire a public speaking coach. A public speaking coach can help teach you techniques to calm you down before a speech, such as deep breathing exercises.
Public speaking workshops and courses are also available. In a public speaking course or workshop, there will be other people who are there for the same purpose as you, to learn how to speak successfully in public. In such a class, you will learn techniques on how to keep your audience interested and how to make the process easier for you. One of the best ways to begin a speech is with a personal anecdote, a joke, a statistic, or an attention grabbing fact. This is called a hook and will capture your audience from the beginning.
Do not be ashamed to seek public speaking help. It will help you out in the long run and hopefully make you a more confident speaker.