Delivery notes part 1: Vocal and personal qualities; dealing with stage fright

How to deal with fear: stage fright, or nervousness:

• Focus on being very well prepared, and realize that you have all the knowledge you need to make the speech a success. If you focus on a positive outcome, failure is no longer an option.
• Rehearse the speech as many times as you can. After practicing it several times, you will have almost learnt it by heart.
• Focus on your audience and what you want to tell them - do you wish to inform them, persuade them to do something, or change their point of view?
• Take into account that the audience is positive towards you and wants you to succeed.
• Remember that your listeners cannot usually tell that you are nervous.
• Also, remember that it is good to be a little nervous, as adrenaline gets you going and prepares you for what might happen.
• You may relax your body and mind beforehand: take deep breaths, visualize a calm situation in the past.
• To help you deal with unforeseen situations, anticipate questions people may ask you.
• And, last but not least, remember that the more experience you get, the more likely you are to overcome the fear. Public speaking is a skill like any other and can be improved with practice.