Things You Need to Let Go if You Want to Face the Audience
How many of us can honestly say that we do not get nervous before or while facing the audience? How many of us were always confident and got everything under control during presentations in schools and colleges? How many times the stage turned our legs to jelly regardless of how huge or small the audience was? Truth is, not even one of us was able to get ahold of ourselves when it came to facing the audience. Not in the first few attempts.
Facing the audience is not easy on anyone. You see celebrities taking the stage, all bold and confident. What you do not see is how they struggled in their early careers and how they managed to keep things going. They too used to get nervous. They too had anxiety attacks many times just because of the pressure of their audience.
It is not wrong to establish that every one of us has faced these problems. However, some people learned a thing or two and got over it while some got stuck there and never got out of it. What did they do wrong? Why were they unable to face their audience ever? What could be the major problem here?
What Holds People Back?
One of the biggest reasons why people cannot face the audience is fear. Fear is that negativity in your life that holds you back. It is that chain to your feet that does not let you go anywhere in life.
What are Different Types of Fear and How Can You Overcome Them?
There are different types of fear people face, which makes them unable to address their audience.
Fear of getting embarrassed
We are so afraid of embarrassment that we forget we are humans. Humans are not error-free, they commit mistakes but from those mistakes, they learn. If you can get your head around this, you will feel much lighter in front of your audience.
Fear of not performing well
Remember, it is okay to fail. As from failures comes success. It is completely fine if you are not performing well at the start. However, it is your responsibility to see what you are doing wrong and work on that.
Fear of rejection
You fear that your ideas might get rejected from your audience which leaves you worried and in the end, you do not come off as bold and confident as you should be. Bear in mind, there can be tens or hundreds of people in your audience and every single one of them has their own ideologies and principles.
Fear of difference of opinion
Possibly the worst type of wear. Imagine this. You work hard on how to face your audience and you are finally able to do it only to stand silent in front of people. Even when you get the nerves to face them, you are too afraid to let your words out. You fear that people might not like what you have to say. What you forget is that you are entitled to your own opinions and there is a concept of ‘freedom of speech’. Learn to give voice to your ideas.
Ten Proven Tips for Speaking to an Audience With Confidence
Overcoming your fears of facing your audience is a major start. However, there are other factors that are crucial to consider to cover your stage more confidently.
1- Practice Makes a Man Perfect
The origin of this quote goes way back in time but still holds a great deal of importance. Before you hit the stage, rehearse your script or presentation. Be prepared for everything. You never know what questions your audience is going to throw at you. If you are well prepared for the concerned topic, you will nail it.
2- Have a Positive Attitude
You hardly prepared yourself to face your spectators so it is less likely for you to be arrogant or proud before them. Try to maintain a positive attitude. People should get positive vibes from you just as you enter the platform. You must learn to be charismatic. Your talk should revolve around solutions rather than problems.
3- List Down Your Key Points
You think you are done with preparation but you will go blank as soon as you are out there in front of people. Happens to the best of us. To avoid this disaster, write down your keynotes. It will jog your memory when you forget a thing or two about your topic.
4- Avoid Scripted Notes
The last thing your crowd wants is crammed lectures. Never read from paper. It creates a bad impression of you. Your key points could be your savior but that is it. You should be on your own delivering what you have prepared for.
5- Research a lot
All the troubles from your audience can be avoided if you certainly know what you are talking about. The way to achieve that is to research thoroughly about the subject matter. Do not leave anything. Study what you can and then study more. When your hearers fire questions at you, you will be ready.
6- Be Original
In order to please our listeners, we tend to lose our original self. We overlook the fact that if we use half of our energy trying to pretend what we are not then we are using only half the energy in delivering our point across. This is not what the viewers want. They want the best and the best could only be conveyed if you stay indigenous.
7- Involve Your Audience
If you want to speak boldly before your audience, you will have to be comfortable around them. You can only achieve that if they are interested in your talk. A decent trick for that is to involve them. Ask them their questions. Let them state their opinions. Doing this you will create a friendly environment and you will not hesitate anymore.
8- Maintain Eye Contact
You want to look confident before your spectators? Then act confident. Look them in the eye. Do not look at the walls, they are not interesting. If you can learn to maintain eye contact, you will be doing wonders.
9- Maintain Your Pace
Do not rush it and do not start to babble things out. You will do that when you are nervous but you are going to control it because your audience will not understand a word you will say. Keep your tone steady. Be very clear. Let people know you are here because you want to be here and not because you have to.
10- You are the Boss!
It is vital to consider the importance the stage holds for you and the opportunity it is bringing you. If you focus on that, you will be less preoccupied with worries. When you are in the center of the stage, you own it. It is your stage and you are going to manipulate it as you will. Although, it is best to keep things in everyone’s interest.
There are numerous other ways to get rid of your hesitations. However, the above-mentioned tips can get you on fine. Get your grasp over them and you will stand tall before people while delivering your message.
