Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

Are you scared of speaking in public? Do you have stage fright? Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, is ranked #13 on the Top 100 Phobia’s in the World, higher than the fear of failure, the fear of being alone, and the fear of the unknown. 

I have been speaking to audiences since I was 25 years old. When I first started I was terrified. I don’t know why I was scared, but I was. I literally could not sleep the night before I had to speak to an audience. It didn’t matter whether it was a small group or a very large one. I found myself actually avoiding speaking to more than two people at a time.

Everyone experiences fear, but it is how you respond to it that ultimately makes the difference in your life.

One day I realized this fear was holding me back from my potential to get my brand out there and get my ideas known. I asked myself, “How can I ever be successful if I’m not willing to speak to people?” That was the moment I committed to overcoming this fear and to learn how to speak to audiences with confidence—no longer was I going to let fear immobilize me.

Since that decision, I have delivered over 2000 speaking engagements to entrepreneurs, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Now I do live streams from my studio, which allows me to speak to people across the entire planet from a single location. I recently did a live video webcast where I was in Miami Beach speaking to over 4,600 people across 10 countries! And I could interact with them in real-time with comments and phone calls. This allowed me to adapt certain parts of the presentation directly to the audience. What a great experience to be able to communicate so directly to so many across the entire planet!

Over the years I have learned from other great speakers, like John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton, Guy Kawasaki, Harvey McKay, Steve Jobs, Jackie B. Cooper, Joel Osteen, Les Brown, John Maxwell, Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, and others. Watching and listening to them inspired me to become more confident in my abilities.

Here are a few tips that you may find helpful for handling the fear of public speaking:

1. Commit to overcoming fear.
   The fear will not go away until it is clear that you are committed to speaking in public. Speak as often as you can, to as many different groups as you can. After 2000 speaking engagements I still experience some fear, but it no longer prevents me from speaking. My commitment is greater than my fear. NY Times best selling author Seth Godin says, “My only tip is… speak.”
   
   
2. Own the stage.
   When you walk out on the stage, or platform, own it; make it yours. Plant your feet firmly in one place, and anchor in at that one place. Avoid moving around much in the beginning of your presentation so the audience can see that you are confident and grounded in who you are and what your position.
   
   
3. Speak to everyone in the room and connect.
   Be sure you are communicating all the way to the back row, to the edges of the room, left and right. Your focus needs to be connecting to each individual in the room. The first two years I spoke I did so without a microphone, which forced me to reach, connect with, and project to everyone in the audience. “Everyone communicates, few comment,” said John Maxwell.
   
   
4. Open with your intent.
   Open with the thing you want the audience to remember. “I am here to show you how to double your sales. That’s right, DOUBLE your sales.” Make it very clear in the first minute what the audience is going to get from your presentation. Make your opening statement bold, promising, inspiring and hopeful for massive gain. Chet Holmes, author of The Ultimate Sales Machine and partner with Tony Robbins says, “Open strong. If you open strong, the audience will be patient for 20 minutes.”
   
   
5. Pick a topic that you are confident with.
   Speak solely on subjects on which you are an authority, expert, and have complete confidence. Use this as a way to gain altitude over your audience. Everyone has some angle or positioning that makes them the authority in a room. Use your expert positioning to grow your own confidence and to have your audience know that. The great sales expert Harvey Mackay says, “The best way to sound like you know what you’re talking about is to know what you’re talking about.”
   
   
6. Hammer away at your opening message.
   Distil your message down to a few points and then beat those points to death. A big mistake is to try to cover too many things in one presentation. Make sure your audience walks away from your event with one message ringing violently in their heads. Simplify your message down to a thing or two rather than many. Les Brown says, “Read, study, and over prepare.”
   
   
7. Close big.
   Your closes should be compelling and inspiring, providing your audience with a reason to be moved. Great speakers always bring a great close to their presentation. By this time the fear has subsided, so be careful not to take the close for granted. Finish big!

Everyone I know has experienced some level of fear when speaking in public. Don’t think you have some disability—it’s normal. Commit to speaking and the fear will subside. Then learn from other great speakers. Whether it’s for a simple job interview, a presentation to your office, a sales presentation to one customer or many, to your church, your community, or a school, there is no getting away from the idea that at some time in your life, you will be forced to speak in public.

The ability to speak confidently and comfortably in public is one of the keys to creating success in your life.

Be great. 

GC

Grant Cardone is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, motivator and sales training expert. His books, sales training programs and seminars provide people of all professional backgrounds with the practical tools necessary to build their own economies towards the path to true freedom.  

“Success is your duty, obligation, responsibility.”  GC

Grant created Cardone University, a customized sales training program for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, success-minded individuals, and entrepreneurs.