Most of us have suffered from responses to anxiety of public
speaking. And we may become so ill we may think we are actually coming
down with something when in fact it is nothing more than anxiety
triggered by the fear of public speaking.
There are many physical
symptoms of anxiety. You may perspire or downright sweat t when you are
standing on stage. If you are delivering your message to a large
audience environment the lights in general may be intense and may make
you perspire. I've seen people who are presenting who were so nervous
and so drenched with perspiration that it looks as if their clothes just
came out of the washer. One way to combat excessive sweating before and
while presenting is to cool off before you go on stage. Use a cooling
rag on your neck. Stay away from caffeine and chocolate and don't drink
any hot drinks before you go on either. Wear light weight or layered
clothing so you can adjust your body temperature with clothing removal.
Another
one of the responses to anxiety of public speaking is a pounding
headache. You start building up the headache hours before you're due to
go on and by the time you deliver your presentation you can barely
think. If you are medically cleared to take analgesics such as aspirin
or acetaminophen, perhaps consider taking something one to two hours
before you present so that if one of your responses to anxiety of public
speaking is headache, you can ward off the pain before it hits.
I
have seen people have such as stomach flutters that you could actually
consider it being downright sick to the stomach before they have to
present. I have a friend who literally becomes physically ill before she
is about to present. Some advice I would give for those who become ill
when they present is to think about eating something light because
there's nothing worse than an empty stomach. Caffeine is not your friend
if you are prone to stomach wobbles when public speaking and caffeine
can give you the jitters and trigger other different responses. Also
make sure that you're fully hydrated-but only use water or juice.
One
of the last signs of having physical responses to anxiety of public
speaking is dizziness. While some of the other signs can be
embarrassing, dizziness can be dangerous. Passing out on stage could
really compromise your safety so make sure if you're dizzy before the
presentation don't go into an environment where you can hurt yourself
and if you're prone to dizziness make sure you've eaten and had some
juice before you go on. But again, stay away from caffeine because
caffeine can trigger dizziness.
If you give presentations often,
you are probably familiar with the physical responses to anxiety of
public speaking. Pay attention to how your body reacts as public
speaking is a natural stressor. With you in control of your body, you
should be able to deliver a great presentation.
Helping people understand their physical responses to anxiety of public speaking is what this article is all about.
Having had to deliver speeches while in my various senior roles and while owning my own business I can attest to that terrible stage fright that people experience. The anxiety of public speaking is not limited to speeches to large groups. It can be debilitating when simply delivering a stand up message to a small group of colleagues. I was a fortunate sole as I was trained in grammar school,-remember the oral book report- to fashion my stand up ability.
Having had to deliver speeches while in my various senior roles and while owning my own business I can attest to that terrible stage fright that people experience. The anxiety of public speaking is not limited to speeches to large groups. It can be debilitating when simply delivering a stand up message to a small group of colleagues. I was a fortunate sole as I was trained in grammar school,-remember the oral book report- to fashion my stand up ability.
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