Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 14  Delivering Presentations 407

you feel before starting to speak can also be a source of energy to make your

points with enthusiasm—use it!

c Desensitize yourself. Sometimes the best way to get over something is to

“just do it.” You address your fear of public speaking by making attempts to

get up in front of a crowd in less threatening situations, like asking a ques-

tion in class or at a community meeting. You might even try singing kara-

oke with friends—nobody expects you to be any good at it, anyway, and it

might be fun!

c Visualize your success. Research shows that people with high speech anxiety

tend to concentrate on negative thoughts before giving their speeches (Ayres

& Hopf, 1993). In order to reduce those thoughts (and their accompany-

ing anxiety), it’s important to spend time imagining positive scenarios and

personal success, a technique known as performance visualization (Ayres,

2005; Ayres & Hopf, 1993). Performance visualization allows you to define

situations and reduce uncertainty (Honeycutt, Choi, & DeBerry, 2009), so

go ahead and imagine yourself standing before your audience with confi-

dence and grace—and it just may happen.

c Take care of yourself. In order to be productive, remember to take care of

yourself in the days leading up to your speech: get enough rest, budget your

time effectively to make room for your speech practice sessions, try to eat

a light meal before the presentation, and try relaxation techniques (such as

deep breathing, yoga, a calming walk, listening to one of your favorite songs,

and laughing with friends).

c Be prepared! As we’ve mentioned—and as we’ll discuss throughout this

chapter—adequately preparing for your speech will increase the likelihood

of success and lessen your apprehension (Smith & Frymier, 2006). Research

demonstrates that confidence does come through preparation and skill

building, which means that conducting thorough research, organizing your

points, and preparing a useful outline will help you achieve a positive out-

come (Schroeder, 2002).

c Rehearse your delivery. Ask a few friends or family members to observe your

speech. (This is particularly useful if you are giving an in-person speech

and have a strong preference for mediated communication, like

texting or Facebook messaging. Sometimes just practicing

in front of people will take the edge off your nervousness.)

Also, try recording a few practice sessions first. Ask the same

friends to critique your delivery and improve with their feed-

back in mind.

c Challenge yourself. We ultimately learn and grow as

individuals by pushing ourselves to accomplish

things that we have not tried or felt confi-

dent with before. Instead of viewing your

speech event as something to dread,

reframe your thoughts and view it as

an opportunity to gain new a valu-

able new skill!

Have you ever had an

embarrassing public speak-

ing moment? What did

you do? Did it affect your

confidence level or your

perception of your own

competence? Now compare

this to how you reacted to

someone else’s embarrass-

ing speaking moment. Did

you think less of a fellow

student who flubbed a few

words or dropped his or her

note cards?

AND YOU?

CONNECT

Chapter 2 discusses self-

efficacy, or your ability to

predict your likelihood of

success in a given situa-

tion. If you believe that you

cannot succeed at giving

a speech, asking someone

for a date, or interview-

ing for a job, you’re more

likely to avoid such com-

munication. In any of these

examples, performance

visualization can help you

manage your thoughts

so that you can achieve

your goals.

MEDITATING OR

PRACTICING yoga can

help you learn to relax your

muscles and focus your

attention. © Blend Images/Alamy