One of the questions I often get after I speak is, “What advice can you give someone who has fear of speaking?”  I usually laugh and say, “Don’t you know I’m terrified every time I’m about to speak?  But the key is to get over the nerves and just do it.”  I know it sounds easier said than done but it’s true.

They say that one of people’s biggest fears is public speaking.  If that’s the case then that means I’m constantly conquering my fear.  The key part of being successful as a speaker is preparation.  Sometimes when we are not prepared it makes for a poor presentation when speaking in front of a group.  Trying to remember everything in a speech or a subject matter you are discussing can be quite challenging.  But when you are prepared and have learned the topic it’s that much easier to handle any situation with confidence.

You never know what can happen during a live event so knowing your material is so important.  Over the last few days I have had several unexpected scenarios occur while speaking to large audiences.  Situations that if I was unprepared I would not have been able to handle.  One thing you have to remember is that the audience has no idea what you are going to say or what you had prepared to say.  If something goes wrong and you know the material it’s easy to keep going without the audience even knowing what went wrong.  They won’t know.  Only you will.

Remember, every great speaker and performer gets nervous before they go on stage.  Just remain calm, take a deep breath and stay focused.  People admire those who have the guts nerves to speak in front of others so give yourself some credit.  Not many people have the courage to do what you are about to do.