Are you serious about overcoming your fear of public speaking?
If you’re serious about becoming a better public speaker, it’s important to establish exactly what you want to achieve. When I had a fear of public speaking, I made the mistake of thinking that if I just kept putting in the work, I would improve. But I didn’t really know how I wanted to improve or how to measure that improvement. I often see people aiming to become better public speakers without really knowing what that means or what it entails.
In this blog, I’ll explain why having a clear goal will help you get rid of those public speaking nerves, motivate you to take action, and ensure the actions you take actually get you where you want to be. I’ll also show you an example of a bad public speaking goal versus a good one.
Do You Have a Clear Public Speaking Goal?
So, you want to be a better public speaker? Well, if you lack clarity regarding your goals and fail to act upon them, it’s unlikely you will improve your public speaking. You’ll stay stuck, and the fear of public speaking will keep holding you back.
Start by asking yourself: In the next three months, what do I want to achieve with my public speaking?
Take some time to think about what you want.
Here are a few ideas for you to consider:
- Increase your experience presenting to larger audiences.
- Learn how to structure your presentations more effectively for clarity and impact.
- Increase your ability to think on your feet during Q&A sessions.
- Improve your eye contact with the audience to create a stronger connection.
- Master the use of visual aids to enhance your presentation.
- Develop engaging stories or anecdotes to illustrate your points.
- Present with more impact by reducing the amount of filler words that you use and speaking slower and more clearly.
- Build confidence in using humour appropriately in your presentations.
- Practice varying your vocal tone and pace to keep your audience engaged.
- Enhance your ability to handle unexpected disruptions or technical issues calmly.
- Learn and implement techniques to manage physical signs of nerves, such as deep breathing exercises, success visualisation and grounding techniques.
Now that you have an idea of what you want to achieve you need to set clear, specific goals. Because in turn, this will help you focus your efforts and track your progress, ensuring you move towards becoming a more confident and effective public speaker.
Tips for Creating Effective Goals
When you want to overcome public speaking anxiety and become a better public speaker, you need to be SMART.
- Be Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
- Make it Measurable: Include criteria for measuring progress and success.
- Ensure it’s Achievable: Set a realistic goal considering your current abilities and resources.
- Keep it Relevant: Align the goal with your overall objectives.
- Time-bound: Set a deadline or timeframe for achieving the goal.
Example of a Bad Public Speaking Goal
“I want to be more confident in public speaking.”
Why It’s a Bad Goal:
- It’s vague: “More confident” is subjective and lacks specificity.
- It’s unmeasurable: There are no clear metrics or criteria to determine when this goal has been achieved.
- It’s unstructured: It doesn’t provide a clear path or actions needed to achieve the goal.
The Confidence Trap
I often hear women say, ‘I want to be more confident.’ But what does ‘being more confident’ actually mean? The term confidence is frequently used without a clear understanding of its practical implications. Perhaps you’ve received feedback suggesting you should ‘be more confident,’ or you believe that confidence alone makes someone a good public speaker. However, I’ve observed many confident individuals who struggle with public speaking.
Confidence is subjective and a rather abstract concept. Personally, I found it invaluable to delve into what ‘being more confident’ specifically meant for me. I encourage you to take the time to clarify what this would look like for you too, as there’s no magic formula for great public speaking, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach to confidence.
Confidence is the willingness to try. Confidence is a skill that you practice. Watch this short video where Mel Robbins explains why we should redefine confidence.
Example of a Better Public Speaking Goal
“In the next three months (by September 24), I want to deliver an informative 10-minute presentation in front of an audience of 20 people, using deep breathing techniques to manage physical signs of nerves such as shaking hands or a trembling voice.”
Why It’s a Good Goal
- Specific: The goal clearly states what you want to achieve (a 10-minute presentation) and the context (an audience of 20 people).
- Measurable: Success can be measured by whether you complete the presentation and effectively use breathing techniques. Feedback from your audience can also indicate whether it’s informative.
- Achievable: This goal is realistic and attainable with practice and preparation.
- Relevant: It directly relates to your overall ambition to improve your public speaking skills and better manage physical signs of nerves.
- Time-bound: The goal has a clear timeline (within the next three months).
Personal Goals to Conquer Public Speaking Anxiety
Here are some of the goals I used to overcome my fear of public speaking.
- In the next three months [by DATE], I will deliver a 20-minute presentation on [specific topic] to an audience of 50 people at [specific event or venue]. I will prepare by rehearsing the presentation three times in front of smaller groups and gathering feedback for improvement.
- Over the next three months [by DATE], I will practise speaking at a pace of 130-150 words per minute during my presentations. I will record myself giving a 10-minute talk once a week, aiming to reduce my speaking rate by 10% each week until I consistently speak within the target range.
- In the next three months [by DATE], I will reduce the use of filler words in my presentations by 80%. I will practise delivering short speeches of 5 minutes each day, recording and reviewing them to track and decrease the frequency of “um,” “uh,” and other fillers. I will also use a speech coach app to provide real-time feedback during practice sessions.
- Over the next three months [by DATE], I will learn and implement three techniques to manage physical signs of nerves, including deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and grounding techniques. I will practise these techniques daily and apply them before and during three public speaking engagements. I will assess my progress by recording the sessions and reviewing my control over nervous symptoms and by seeking feedback from a sample of audience members.
Setting Structured Goals is Crucial for Public Speaking Success
I believe that setting clear, structured goals is crucial for overcoming the challenges of public speaking anxiety and becoming a better public speaker. The next step is to consistently take action towards these goals. The result? A plan that is not only actionable and trackable but will lead to significant and sustainable progress in your public speaking skills.
In next weeks blog, I’ll share my insights on how to take effective actions that propel you towards achieving your public speaking goals. Stay tuned!
Unsure where to begin? Here’s what I believe is the first step to overcoming the fear of public speaking.
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