How to speak up without freaking out?

Are you freaking out before and while speaking up? Do you know how to manage anxiety? Do you wish to speak up with more confidence next time?

If your answer is yes, you are not alone. This is quite common to all of us and as an introvert, I was always afraid of speaking in public.

After receiving the invitation of being a panelist at 2018 Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) international education panel, I was full of sheer terror but complete determination. I wanted to share my stories and experience while living and studying in Australia, but I also realized that I was representing over half a million international students in Australia. The anxiety in my body had boosted up.

I consulted my mentor and friends to prepare for the potential questions, which helped me feel more confident. Before doing my speech, I also watched a TED talk. Stanford Professor Matt Abrahams offers practical solutions to manage communication anxiety and provides tools to empower me to confidently share my ideas and stories. 

In the video, he said that we need to address both physical and cognitive symptoms, and eradicate the sources of anxiety. But how?

1. Take a deep breath to calm down (very useful); 

2. Do a big broad gesture to avoid shaking ('superwoman' pose worked for me);

3. Hold a bottle of cold water to cool ourselves down (I drank cold water and it worked too);

4. Greet anxiety by giving ourselves permission of being nervous (I acknowledged the hardness of public speaking and told myself as long as I did it, I would be the hero of my own);

5. Follow "what - so what - now what" structure to avoid forgetting the script (I did a stakeholder map to help me be more clear about sophisticated stakeholder relations);

6. Redirect audiences' attention by asking questions, taking a poll, showing a video clip to avoid feeling valued or judged (I thought audiences would support me instead of judging me. Mindset is crucial!); 

7. See our communication as a relaxing activity of engaging audiences: singing, dancing, acting or playing sports (I regarded it as a story sharing experience and I put in complete genuinity);

8. Reframe the speech as a conversation with audiences by using conversational language to include them: we, you, us (I used these languages extensively to show my passion and execution of integrating to the community). 

Rome was not built in one day. There is no right way to communicate and it takes time to practice. My very first speech in front of a room of Australia-China leaders was transformative to me. I made it! I know this is still the beginning of my public speaking journey, where I can learn from my experience so as to deliver a better speech next time. More practice, more confident, more adept.

With determination and techniques, I believe we can feel more confident when communicating with others next time. We can learn to manage our anxiety by showing more self kindness and patience. Try out these techniques today, and get ready for your next speech!

How do you manage your anxiety when speaking up?

#speakupwithoutfreakingout