The heart pounds fast. The body become stiff. You are in the front of the room, giving your first speech. Its a struggle standing there, saying your lines. Its overwhelming because you may look like a fool. At this moment you are faced with your fear of public speaking.

Many new Toastmasters go through this experience. Its such a challenge that they join to overcome their fear of public speaking. Its common, but why do so many people have this fear?

Why do we fear public speaking?

People don’t want to be judged negatively. When a person comes up and speak for the first time, he’s worried he’ll be seen as inadequate. He’s worried he may not have the skills to to look confident through the speech.

People know they shouldn’t care what others think, yet they still get nervous. They are afraid of being judged by themselves. They don’t want to speak. They don’t want to be in front of everyone, only to underperform. Its hard to accept being an incompetent speaker. To be such a beginner. But in order to get better we need to accept our current level to get better.

Overcoming this fear

There is no easy way to overcome fear. If you try to understand it alone, it doesn’t cure your fear. You need to condition yourself with the the mindset that you’ll be okay no matter what the outcome is. That you can improve. The best way to overcome the fear of public speaking is by doing it.

Knowing this will not make it easier. But as you give more speeches you will slowly accept any judgement you receive. You will learn to become a better speaker. You will see your improvement. When you realize your learning potential, your public speaking level will matter less.

Conclusion

You forget a part of your speech? You skip and maybe bring it back later. You start to forget a line? You bring a notecard next time. As obstacles arrive, you learn to solve them. This is what experience provides you. An opportunity to look back and see your improvement. An opportunity to look back and see that you were always ok.