How can I overcome nervousness?

    The first couple times I got up to speak in front of a 200 member congregation at an LDS church in Georgia, I understood what shaking knees really  were.  I remember being so nervous before getting up on the stand, thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong-what if I drew a blank? What if I lost my place on the page?  What if I couldn’t find the scriptures I had prepared?  It happens to the best of us.  Now I find myself excited to go up and tell the world what I feel, what I have experienced and what I think they need to know.     So we have decided to overcome this nervousness and give a great, confident speech. But how?    

    First of all, just go out and give it your best.  Be yourself, don’t try to be Daniel Webster or Martin Luther King Jr.  You are who you are. "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom". (Thomas Jefferson)[1]Think about what it is that makes you nervous.  It could be the number of people you have to get up in front of.  It could be that your teacher or whoever is evaluating you intimidates you.  It’s possible even that you don’t feel comfortable in the clothes you are presenting in.

One of the most common reasons of nervousness is lack of preparation.  Five minutes before it is time to get up, you say to yourself over and over again-why didn’t I prepare more?  Learn from it, don’t make the same mistake again.   

  There are Many ways we can get that nervousness out of our system:   

  -Keep the main ideas in your head, but don’t worry about every word.   

  -Be positive!  Don’t think about what could go wrong! 

   -Imagine yourself winning over the audience and expressing all of your ideas

   -Remember-the audience is cheering you, not waiting for you to mess up.

 

To learn more about Nervousness and how to overcome it, Follow the link
How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear

 

 

 



[1]http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Thomas_Jefferson/