How I overcame my fear of public speaking and how you can too

I have had an instinctive fear of speaking in public since I was very young. In school we had to stand up in front of the class to read aloud and I loathed it. I’ve always admired people who could talk in front of an audience, but for me, speaking to a group with confidence was truly petrifying.

Today I talk to large groups of people every day, whether I’m speaking to my design team, or presenting to a lecture theatre full of students. I still find it nerve wracking, but over my career I’ve developed ways to calm those nerves and even enjoy public speaking.

Having something worth saying

I wasn’t a massively shy person growing up, but nevertheless I avoided public speaking at every opportunity. When I was at Ford, I distinctly remember being asked to talk in front of a camera about a steering wheel I’d designed. Let’s face it, how much can you really say about a steering wheel? As soon as the camera came on my mind went blank and I didn’t know what to say. I just froze. I couldn’t do it and I actually had to walk away.

You need to have something worth saying otherwise there isn’t much point in presenting anything at all. If you don’t believe in what you are saying then your audience won’t either.

Preparation is everything

Once you’ve got something worth saying you need to work out how to say it. I’ve gone into presentations in the past believing I know the subject well enough not to prepare or rehearse. But a few minutes in I lose track of what I’m saying and that fear and anxiety comes back. Preparation isn’t necessarily about dotting the I’s and crossing the Ts, but you need to really know the story you want to tell.

When I started presenting more regularly, I used written speeches and would read them word for word. Since then, I’ve learned to loosen up and be more informal. Over time I’ve stopped using written scripts and today I very rarely read a speech. My only prompts now are images. I don’t even write notes anymore because the images are familiar enough to me to know what I want to say about them. Over the years I have prepared so many presentations that I don’t need to spend that much time doing it anymore.

Don't worry about your surroundings

I used worry what the audience was thinking. It wasn’t just a problem at work. My wedding speech was a complete disaster! But over the years I’ve learned not to worry about what other people think. Most of the time, when you speak in public, people are there because they want to hear what you have to say.

Telling a joke can work really well and it’s great when you get a laugh. Sometimes you have to pause for a second to let the joke land before you get that response, so don’t panic if you don’t get immediate laughter. That being said I’ve sometimes told a joke that just hasn’t landed. At that point I say “well that was supposed to be funny,” and usually that will get a chuckle, even if the intended line doesn’t.

Equally don’t think you always have to make the audience smile. Straight facial expressions don’t mean that your audience is bored – often it simply means they are concentrating.

Take your time

The moment I step up onto a stage I am still very nervous. But I take my time and talk as slowly as I can. Going slowly helps you to avoid mistakes. You might feel that you are talking so slowly it becomes boring but actually every word is being listened to by someone somewhere in that room. And if you do make a mistake, that’s ok too – it makes you seem more human to your audience.

Take time for a breath or a sip of water. Allow yourself to think of your next sentence instead of talking to fill the air.

Whether you’re presenting in front of a small group or a large crowd, I hope these few simple pointers will help to calm your nerves and eventually overcome your fear of speaking like I have. Be clear on your story, take your time and don’t worry about anyone else. You never know, you might even enjoy it!