Would you rather run a thousand miles than stand in front of an audience to speak? If yes, then you should know that you are not alone in that. Ordinarily, I’d much rather hide at the back of the audience than stand before them. The first time I tried it, I shook so much like a leaf. I came up with so many excuses not to try at all. First, I thought I would fall as I was climbing up the stage. I didn’t fall so then I thought I would forget everything I wanted to say. I didn’t forget cos I had a paper in my hand. I thought the paper would fall off my hands and everybody would start laughing at me. I thought everyone could see how much my hands were shaking as I held the paper in my hands. I thought people would get bored and boo me.
Guess what? None of those happened. Instead, they clapped for me. That gave me courage to try again and again and again. Today, I am poised to speak in front of a crowd, no matter how large.
I discovered some great tips for speaking before a large crowd. Such as:
- I always put on clothes that make me feel good with myself
- Once I stand before a crowd, the first thing I do is smile (it always works)
- I try to hold something (a pen, handkerchief, etc. Anything to keep my hands busy)
- I keep reminding myself that I can do it
- I realized that if I make a mistake I can easily correct myself. There is no reason to feel embarrassed
- I make eye contact with the persons in the audience. When you look at them boldly, they’ll most likely look away or nod in agreement with what you’re saying.
- Whenever I forget what I want to say, I smile and try saying something else
- I try not to beat myself up over any mistake I make
These few tips have helped me so far. Do you have any to add?
Femmetotale 