Overcoming Armpit Tacos (Speech Anxiety)

Everyone gets nervous their first time in front of a big audience, and many get nervous after their hundredth time in front of an audience.

The fact is, we all experience the emotion of anxiety, and we all experience it differently (like getting sweating armpits that soak through your shirt (aka Armpit Tacos).

The purpose of this lesson is to help you understand public speaking anxiety and what you can do to lessen those "jitters."

PSA (public speaking anxiety)

Yes that is a real term (at least in textbooks). By definition it is "fear or anxiety associated with either actual or anticipated communication to and audience as a speaker."

Experts have identified some potential causes of PSA. They are:

1. No experience in public speaking.
2. Having had a negative experience when giving a speech.
3. The feeling of being different from the audience.
4. Being the "center of attention."

Solutions to your anxiety

Everyone experiences anxiety differently and at different times throughout the speechmaking process. As you become more comfortable and advanced in your public speaking abilities, your anxiety(s) will also change.

Number one solution to control your anxiety in public speaking is…to be as a Boy Scout and to always be prepared. Of course that is a good rule for anything you are doing in life-BE PREPARED.

How to BE PREPARED

1. Research. Know your topic, your audience, the environment you will be presenting in, etc. (See Lesson 2)
2. Practice. Repetition is the mother of skill and the more you practice giving your speech (in front of a mirror, in front of family/friends, in an empty classroom) the better you will be. 
3. Expect Anxiety. Yes, you need to expect that you will have some butterflies. It's better to expect this feeling than try to deny it. Some feel anxiety before the speech (during preparation), some feel anxiety during the speech, and some will feel anxiety before and during. It's okay, it's expected.
4. Visualize. Yes this actually works and can help you while you are practicing. Close your eyes while you are practicing your speech. I have used this technique with numerous students and many have commented that it helped considerably. 

Other Solutions to Speaker Anxiety

Fake it Until You Make It. This saying has stuck with me since I was a young buck in college. I was stressed out that I wasn't going retain everything from all of my studies. One of my professors told me that sometimes in life I will need to fake it til' I make it, in other words, be confident and act like I knew what I was doing until I did know what I was doing. Hey, it worked, and it still works to this day.

**This is not good advice for doctors and those who are in the profession of saving lives.**

Be Positive. Having good "positive" thoughts about speaking will relieve your stress. Have you ever heard the saying "Attitude is Everything!"? Well it's another one of those cliches that are true.

Create a Checklist. Some people feel better when they have a checklist to check off, such as:

• Appropriate topic selected.
• Researched information for topic.
• Audience researched.
• Outline completed.
• Practiced in front of mirror.
• Visualized the speech.
• Timed my speech (Time was_______).
• Checked out all audio/visual equipment.

Learn to Meditate. I'm a personal fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer and his book/CD on relaxation called "Getting in the Gap."

Relaxation Breathing. Inhale slowly through your nose and let your abdomen fill up (your belly not your chest). Hold it in for five seconds and imagine little oxygen cells cleaning out your body. Exhale slowly while imagining all that anxiety leaving your body in a black cloud. Feel yourself being cleansed from the inside out.

Move Around. You can control anxiety by moving around when you talk. Make sure these are natural and "non-distracting" movements. You might just want to video yourself speaking to see what your body movements are.

You Get to Speak. Choosing to, or getting to speak is much more relaxing than having to speak. Enjoy the opportunity that you "get to" speak.

Dress for Success. It is a fact that your dress changes how you act. Dress nice, comb your hair (get a haircut), ladies get your hair and nails done (yep, I just gave you an excuse) and there is a good chance you will feel better. Oh yeah, wear clothing that will not show perspiration (Armpit Tacos).

Drink Water. It is acceptable to have bottled water when you speak (it will help with dry mouth). It is looked down upon to have anything else to drink. Your 64 oz Big Chill mug is not "cool" (actually, it's never cool looking in any setting). Your Starbucks Grande Machachino Whatever is also not considered professional. Coffee is casual not professional.

Evaluate yourself appropriately. Don't be hard on yourself. List all the positives that you did during your speech and then list all the areas you "get to" improve on. It is "highly recommended" to always list more things you did well than those things you want to improve on. I recommend a 2:1 ratio- two positives for every one area of improvement.

Questions

1. What are some other techniques that you use to help with anxiety?
2. Describe a time that you felt confident in an activity you were doing. How did you feel, what did you do to prepare, and how can you recreate that feeling when you are going to give a speech?
3. What is your biggest fear in public speaking and how can you overcome it?