Move Past Your Fear of Public Speaking with My 6-Point Fear Formula

In Episode 20 of the Power Your Platform Podcast, we’re discussing one of the biggest fears human beings have on the planet: that age-old fear of getting up on stage and speaking in front of an audience. In order to amplify our message, we need to have the courage to speak out.

And one of the tools you can use to do just that is my 6-point Fear Formula.

And hey, I’ll let you in on a secret ahead of time, there’s nothing magical about it; but I do guarantee that if you take each step to heart and practice it over time, then you’re going to see results.

The experts at Psychology Today tell us that many people who suffer from the fear of public speaking believe they’re not qualified enough or well-practiced enough or talented enough to be onstage.

At the heart of this fear is that we’ll somehow be rejected or ridiculed when we offer our point of view. The difference between getting up on a stage and having a private conversation with one or two people, is the perception that we’re somehow being evaluated when we take our place at a podium. Interesting, right?

So if you struggle with speaking in public, here are 6 tactical steps to help you get out of your head and not only survive your next public speaking experience, but actually ENJOY it!

Step 1 - Love Your Audience.

At the heart of loving your experience onstage, is the fundamental shift in focus from seeing your audience as a group of people to be feared as opposed to a community of human beings who want and need to hear the message you have to share.

Step 2 - Name Your Fear.

And I mean that literally. There’s a technique I read about once and it really stuck with me. It was all about giving your fear a silly name and as a mom, that really resonated with me. Because how many times have we done the same thing for our kids. Imagine your fear of public speaking as a furry little monster. And give him or her a silly name. I call mine Gizmo. And the more see my fear as a furry, little monster rather than some dark overwhelming presence I was able to put things into perspective.

Step 3 - Own Your Awesome.

There are two parts to Step 3. First, stop apologizing for your awesomeness. And second, start taking stock of your awesomeness. Because only you can share the unique story you were meant to share with the world.

Step 4 – Embrace Your Weird.

This one’s a lot like step #3, but this time, I’m talking about the parts of you that make you cringe and wish you could change them to make you, well, more like everyone else. Except your weirdness is what sets you apart – and it’s actually the very thing that can convince your audience to choose you over another person who provides a similar product or services.

Step 5 - Know Your Stuff.

If you’re going to present to an audience or launch an online course or heck, start a podcast – you should know what you’re talking a

bout. And remember, you don’t have to be the world’s #1 expert on your topic in order to be effective. But you do need to do you homework and research what your audience is looking for and pinpoint how you can help them.

There’s an extra layer of confidence that comes with presenting when we’re crystal clear on what we want to say and why. The more experienced we become, we also learn to fit what we want to say within a particular timeframe. Practice helps a lot with that.

Step 6 – Do It Scared.

Most of us will probably NEVER be 100% in ourselves or our speaking ability. But, as I often tell my Story Coaching clients, if you can’t be confident in yourself, be confident in your message. And then do it anyway.