Here are three tips that have helped me with my public speaking. I am a strong supporter that our success in public speaking is contingent upon our inner state. If we are stressed and conflicted internally, then this disharmony will be reflected when we are on stage which makes a challenging experience even that much more demanding. Try applying these tips a month before your talk if you can. That will give you ample time to instill these actions into a habitual pattern. Although they may be only subtle changes, you’d be surprise how much of these little things add up to being big factors when you’re speaking in public. These are all simple to do and you can start immediately.
1. Drink more water. Staying hydrated has so many positive benefits for you in general and specifically for public speaking. It helps you concentrate. It helps you think clearly. It helps balance your mood. It flushes your system of toxins. It helps with your short and long-term memory. Drinking enough water keeps your brain functioning efficiently. This will have a tremendous impact on your inner state before you get on stage and speak. When you’re hydrated, it checks one more thing off of the list that you have to focus on, thus allowing you to dedicate as much of your attention and concentration to the task at hand. Remember to truly do well with public speaking, you must be willing to go above and beyond in the preparation process to ensure your success. Drinking water is vital for this. I’d recommend getting some kind of water bottle that you can carry with you and refill throughout the day.
2. Breathing Deeply. Take time throughout your day to intentionally breathe as deeply from your diaphragm as you can. This will definitely influence your inner state. It helps calm you down. It helps center you. It ensures your brain is receiving enough oxygen. It stabilizes your emotions. It detoxes your body. It can elevate your mood. It can heighten your self-awareness. It also can help you enter a zone which is critical for public speaking. Breathing deeply is fundamental to success on the stage. I would suggest taking 3-5 deep intentional breaths a few times every day.
3. Positive Self-Talk. Having a supportive internal dialogue is extremely important for public speaking. It definitely makes a world of difference when dealing with the stage fright. Positive self talk is like becoming your own personal coach. The more you encourage yourself, the better you’ll feel. There will be so many people out in the world that will attempt to cut you down and speak negatively about you, do not allow yourself to be one of them. Positive self-talk is a transformative process. It is giving yourself the proper respect that you deserve. It is a form of self-love. It will build your confidence. It will remove the unnecessary distractions of negative internal dialogue. It serves as an armor for you to better deal with criticism and ridicule. It can help with depression. Imagine that you have a self-esteem bank within you. Each time you practice positive self-talk, you make a deposit in your account. You determine how wealthy you would like to be. I advise that you do this as much as you can on a daily basis. Now it must be stated, I don’t mean keeping your head in the clouds and only focusing on positivity at the expense of ignoring any negative aspects of your everyday existence. I’m simply saying become your ultimate fan. Be absolutely supportive of yourself. Cheer yourself on. When things get difficult in your life, instead of defaulting to insulting yourself, or putting yourself down, lift yourself up. Check the negative chatter that goes on and on in your mind. That is something well within your control. If you establish a habit of positive self-talk, then when your stage fright emerges, you’ll be in the best position to deal with it.
The more you are able to incorporate these three actions within your everyday life, the better prepared you’ll be when you are speaking in public. Your inner state is something to be constantly tended to and cultivated. It will decide if you’ll enter into a zone or potentially stumble through your speech. It will help settle your nerves before being called up on stage. This will give you the edge over your doubts and set you up for success.