By TM Adarsh Pillai

I have always been the guy who could write essays on any topic as if I knew it like the back of my hand. However, when it came to Public speaking? It seemed like a nightmare. It ached me to see how much I had to say on paper, but when it came to delivering that on a stage, I stepped back. If you feel the same, trust me, you're not a lost cause. Continue reading as I guide you through the fear of public speaking and how to finally overcome it.

My Personal Battle With Public Speaking (And How I Nailed It)

I realized the importance of stage speaking just after joining my University. I spent countless hours finding the perfect strategy to help deal with stage fright. But guess what? The only solution I could see was to push myself onto the stage. Needless to say, I joined the literature club and started attending inter-university debates. I sucked, and that was apparent in the videos where I shot myself. However, I improved. My first debate? Disaster, the second one? Okay-ish. The third one? Boy! I was turning heads with my words. So you see, the growth wasn't exactly linear. Then COVID-19 came upon us, and everything went online. That broke my public speaking habit because online debates don't exactly substitute for real-life stages. I lost my touch until I found Toastmasters. I fell back into the clutches of overthinking and stage fright once again. That leads me to the next part: Overcoming the Fear of Audiences and the Challenges of Public Speaking.

The 3 Biggest Challenges That Hold You Back

Public speaking as a beginner isn't sexy. You see the pros on the stage and say," What's the big deal? Even I can speak like that". Well, you can't, unless you have the hang of it. That's where these 3 biggest challenges come in:

1. You Become Super Self-Conscious (in a Bad Way) Have you ever become so self-conscious that you lost your voice? Maybe not literally, but you start speaking like a robot because your mind starts wondering: What are they thinking about me? It took me a lot of practice to overcome this challenge, and yet I recently found myself falling back into this habit. It's a perfect killer for all the brilliant ideas you might have, and trust me, it's not fun. It even embarrasses me to watch myself speaking when this happens (more on that later) But what's the cure for this disease? Well, practice.

Practice in front of a mirror, imagine an audience sitting there and control your expressions as you unravel your thoughts. You just literally have to push yourself more on the stage, and that's precisely what started to change the game for me.

1. Forgetting the Content or Grammar Mistakes This issue arises especially if your grammar is out of practice or when you're thinking on your feet while speaking in front of a crowd. I take pride in having a good grasp of the English language, but I was humbled by the grammarian after joining the Toastmasters public speaking club. Now, you could either suck at it completely or a little but the solution is simple:

   2.1 Read more books to fix your sentence structures and grammatical syntax

   2.2 Watch English movies with subtitles on, study, and improve verbal communication

   2.3 Practice speaking regularly on a stage to ensure those grammar issues don't creep in on a stage

   2.4 Practice storytelling in your speeches, focusing on details such as how to start a speech, building effective presentation skills, and using body language in public speaking.

2. The Unwanted Hidden Talents That Kill Your Progress You guessed it right; "hidden talent" is indeed sarcasm. Unfortunately, these so-called talents can come in numerous forms:

   3.1 Rushing while speaking

   3.2 Using filler words to create pauses

   3.3 Unwanted stage movements

   3.4 Improper eye contact All of these factors are like minor issues that slowly but surely kill your vibe on stage. But you can't overcome them overnight. I know I still didn't. So what's the right approach? Just fix one thing at a time, and observe yourself. The only prerequisite? You need to get on that stage more and more often!

3. 3 Stupidly Simple Tips For Nervous Speakers (That Actually Work)

Public speaking tip? Well, the internet is full of it, and you'll not even be sure about where to start. So, let me cut to the chase for you: the real hacks that worked for me.

1. Record Your Speaks Like a Paparazzi I love how Toastmasters made it a norm to record yourself while speaking. Is it really required? Absolutely. This single thing helped me get insights into where I was going wrong. Forget about judging yourself, and keep your ego aside. You can also take some clips and show them to your mentor or teacher, as I did with my communication skills teacher when I was a fresher. And boom! You just set yourself up for some significant improvement.

   So, the next time you speak? Carry that tripod if you have to, or ask a fellow toastmaster to help you record your speaking.

2. You Know You Suck, So Accept That There is no escaping the truth, is there? But accepting the truth sets you free. So I like being honest with myself: Okay I suck right now at impromptu speaking. Maybe I'm being too critical of myself, maybe not, but I want to improve, and that's what matters. So maybe I will start by studying impromptu speaking tips as a first attempt to conquer stage fear. The only magic mantra to help you walk through this phase is saying to yourself: "It's okay to be not perfect, atleast l have the guts to step up". Ultimately, learning public speaking isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. The faster you understand your strengths and shortcomings, and commit to working on them with your mentor, the better off you'll be.

3. Confidence Can Take You to Places Even Words Cannot Now, this is not exactly a public speaking tip, but more of a psychological hack. Imagine a man speaking all the correct facts, but his voice trembling as he speaks. It will automatically repel the audience. On the other hand, imagine someone speaking with confidence and charisma, such as the popular influencer Ankur Warikoo. Do you think people care when he gives wrong financial facts? Yes, the audience is getting smarter, so maybe 2% of his viewers will call it out, but the rest? They trust him just by the way he speaks. Funny, right? Well, that's confidence speaking, my friend. So, the next time you're speaking on stage, just remember that no one knows how afraid you are unless you're willing to show it through your body language. So ask yourself: How to be a confident speaker? And start building speaking confidence first.