What are the most effective techniques for overcoming anxiety when speaking to a new audience?

2 Plan your structure

Another key factor for a successful speech is to have a clear and logical structure that guides your audience through your main points. A good structure will help you organize your ideas, avoid rambling, and keep your audience's attention. A simple and effective structure consists of three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In your introduction, you should capture your audience's attention, state your purpose, and preview your main points. In your body, you should develop your main points with evidence, examples, and explanations. In your conclusion, you should summarize your main points, restate your purpose, and end with a strong call to action or a memorable message.

3 Practice your delivery

Once you have your content and structure ready, you should practice your delivery as much as possible. Practicing will help you improve your fluency, clarity, and expression, as well as your timing, gestures, and eye contact. You can practice in front of a mirror, a recorder, a camera, or a friend, and ask for feedback on your strengths and weaknesses. You can also practice in a similar setting and situation as your actual speech, to familiarize yourself with the environment and the equipment. The more you practice, the more confident and comfortable you will feel on the stage.

4 Manage your nerves

Even if you have prepared and practiced well, you may still feel nervous or anxious before or during your speech. This is normal and natural, and it can even be beneficial if you channel it into positive energy and excitement. However, if your nerves are too overwhelming or distracting, you can use some strategies to manage them. For example, you can breathe deeply and slowly, relax your muscles, visualize your success, affirm your abilities, and smile. You can also use humor, stories, or questions to break the ice and connect with your audience.

5 Adapt to the situation

Finally, you should be ready to adapt to the situation and the feedback that you receive from your audience. Sometimes, things may not go as planned, and you may encounter unexpected challenges or opportunities. For instance, you may have to deal with technical issues, interruptions, distractions, or questions. Instead of panicking or losing your focus, you should embrace these situations as opportunities to show your flexibility, creativity, and professionalism. You should also pay attention to your audience's reactions, such as their facial expressions, body language, and comments, and adjust your speech accordingly. You can use pauses, transitions, summaries, or repetitions to clarify, emphasize, or reinforce your points.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?