Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

Do you have a fear of public speaking? If so, is this what happens to you?

Fear of public speaking is a real thing. It's actually called glossophobia or speech anxiety. Many people have glossophobia including possibly you. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay that you are afraid. Just know that there will be times when you will be asked to speak up in front of a group of people.

Have you spoken in front of others before? Think about it. How did you do? Did you survive? Are you alive? I sure would hope so considering you're reading this. I don't expect you to overcome your fear of public speaking overnight, but I do want to help you fight it over time. Here are some tips that can help you combat speech anxiety.

1. Relax - Seriously, just breathe. Take a deep breath before your speech. It's okay to be nervous and sweaty, but take some time to breathe and put reality back into place. Whatever you are speaking for or however long, it will not last forever. It could be a 5 minute presentation or a 60 minute presentation. Either way, it is not infinite. It will end. Breathe.

2. Body position - Try to keep your weight even. A lot of speakers will tend to lean on one leg or the other which applies pressure and can be stressful. It's okay to move a little while speaking. Find your space by extending your arms out. Try to stay in that amount of space when moving and avoid pacing back and forth.

3. Practice - Practice, practice, practice. This cannot be stressed enough! Most people feel that they are not good at speaking in front of others because they lack experience. Practice your speech or presentation by yourself, in front of a mirror, in front of a friend, in front of a family member, and then in front of a group. It sounds tedious, but like most things in life, you need to work hard to get the results you want.

How many bullet points should you be using?

• Bullets are meant to help outline concepts or list ideas.
• They are meant to be short and sweet, but tend to lean on the lengthier side of the slide.
• They are also purely text-based taking away from the visual possibilities. 
• Are you still reading this?
• Bullets can be boring.
• Did you read the first three and then jump to this one?

The answer to the title question is none.

Wherever possible, avoid using bullets. Everything you put on the screen is a graphic. Visually the eye perceives every letter, every period as a graphic. Try to limit the amount of information being put on the slide as it can take away from the oral presentation. If you want to keep your information concise, avoid putting too much information on the screen so that the slides won't look so cluttered. For example look at the following slides:

A. With bullet points

B. Without bullet points

Do you see how the subtopics are still listed in the exact same format for both slides? All the bullet points in Slide A did was just add an extra visual for the audience to look at and it doesn't enhance the slide in any way. Slide B looks less cluttered from Slide A, giving it a cleaner look. Try to avoid bullets if at all possible!

Vibrant backgrounds for presentations

Remember when we talked about colors a little while ago? Here are a few examples of awesome backgrounds vibrant with color:

Be cautious of bright colors that may burn the eyes of your audience and dark shades that make the test difficult to read. Go out and find what fits you and your message best! It might take you a few extra minutes, but it'll be worth it. Just remember, it's the little things that add up to the bigger picture.

The Psychology of Colors

Here's an amazing infographic (too tiny? do click!) that describes the different meanings of colors in different settings.

Thank you Painters of Louisville for this awesome infographic!

The bottom left and top right of this infographic will be the most helpful for you concerning presentations. 

Think of your idea and the colors that are associated with it. For example, the history of royalty would couple well with purple. Maybe you're talking about finances; green would be complementary. Be cautious of yellow since it most likely strains eyes or causes eye fatigue. Red may make your audience more hungry than attentive to your message. In that case, use blue to curb that appetite and provide a calmer ambiance. Orange will raise that awareness, possibly resulting in excitement or caution. Carefully plan out how colors can help you and your presentation!

Using Colors in Presentations

Have you ever sat in a presentation where the background was plain white? How boring was it? Maybe you sat in a presentation where the colors were awfully random and all over the place proving to be quite the distraction. Does that sound all too familiar? Honestly, do tell because I know I've been stuck in that boat numerous times.

For those of you who breeze by with that plain old white background, get some excitement in there, show some spunk! As for those of you who are way too sporadic with the colors, pause and pick a color scheme that fits your message. Just remember, colors evoke emotions.

Maybe you're thinking "Why does it matter what colors I use in my presentations?"

A good question, my friends. I have asked the same question myself. I found my answer when I gave an informative speech on color psychology. Using the right colors can help to add or subtract from your presentation. Let's talk about the meaning of colors.

Red - love, passion, romance, daring, expressive, competitive, and aggressive. 

Yellow - joy, happiness, cheery and energetic.

Blue - stability, reliability, trust, and confidence

Orange - harvest, cleanliness

Green - nature, health, and freshness

Black - formal, elegance, rich, power, but can be associated with death and evil

White - purity, cleanliness, innocence

Brown - dependability, durability

It's good to think about these things because you are essentially selling what you are presenting. What do you want your audience to really see and hear? If you're going to talk about trust and dependability, would you want to have a bold red background or a dreary black background? Blue would probably be the better option. Distinguish what colors fit your idea best. For example, brown can mean dependability and durability. UPS has used that in their logo to invoke those emotions in their consumers. You will want to have the color of your background really accent your idea or story or whatever it is you are presenting. 

Remember, colors evoke emotions.