Whether it is in your personal, professional or academic life, there will come a time when you have to speak in front of a group of people, and when you do, it is important that you are able to do so intelligently and eloquently. You may have to give a presentation on a research paper to the class, give a toast among friends, or complete an interview for a new job, but no matter what it is, the best way to be prepared is to practice. For this reason, it is in a student's best interest to take a public speaking class at some point in their education. Even though many students realize a speech class would be beneficial to them, many still refuse to put themselves through a semester's worth of speeches. The idea of getting up in front of people is terrifying to many people, but it is vital to overcome this fear in order to become a stronger and more confident speaker.
One of the main reasons people try to avoid public speaking is simply that they are nervous. The idea of standing in front of a room with everyone's eyes on you is horrifying to a large portion of people. However, the nervousness you feel can actually be used to your advantage. In many cases, feeling nervous can be a great motivator. This motivation could come in the form of extra preparation and practice. Since you may be most concerned with forgetting what you are going to say or tripping over your words, you might put extra time into creating a speech outline or running through your speech aloud several times. By doing this, you will feel better about how the speech will go when it comes time to present.
There are several ways to fight against the nervousness that comes with public speaking. Along with preparing what you want to say, a good way to feel better about your speech is to perform it in front of friends or peers multiple times before hand. This could mean gathering a group of friends in the living room, practicing with a few people from class, or visiting your college's speech lab. Whatever you do though, presenting in front of people, rather than just in an empty room, gives you a much more accurate idea of what it will feel like to do the final presentation.
Another way to decrease your nerves is to focus on being positive. While this may not be quite as easy as it sounds, if you can channel your nervousness this way, you will be much better off. This method involves focusing less on being afraid to be in front of people, and instead focusing on your speech going exactly as you hope it will. Your introduction captures your audience's attention, you remember all of your important points, you get a few laughs from the crowd, and your conclusion is clear and concise. Thinking in such a positive way can put you in the right mindset to blow away your audience, whomever it may be.
While it may be hard to overcome a fear of public speaking, it is extremely necessary to do so in the world today. Therefore, it will be worth overcoming your fears and enrolling in a speech class in order to build these skills as best as you can. It may be hard at the time, but you won't regret what you learned in the end!
