Public Speaking Anxiety Help
As part of our confidence coaching we often work with clients who have a fear of speaking in public. This can range from a general feeling of nervousness because of a big event coming up or a long standing fear that has been present for many years. As with all of our work with our overcome a fear of public speaking sessions are tailor made to every client because no two problems will be exactly alike. In its mildest form this fear is simply created because our clients are simply unused to speaking in front of others. If you have to make a speech at a wedding it tends to be something that you may only have to do once or twice in a life time. It is therefore understandable that you are being pushed out of your comfort zone and may need a little extra help to perform at your best. We know that our confidence coaching methods when combined with hypnosis and NLP techniques can make a major dent in this fear and help you manage the situation with minimal nerves.
Public Speaking Phobia
Many people however have a much more severe form of public speaking fear which could be classed as a full blown phobia. These are the people who have spent their lives dodging any situation which may require them to speak in front of others. Generally this form of public speaking anxiety will have started when they were relatively young and will have increased as they have got older. The more they avoided situations where they need to speak in public the bigger the fear will have become. By the time they reach adulthood they will have reached such a state of fear that they will do everything they can to avoid a situation where they would need to present in front of others. We have known clients who would rather call in sick than to talk in a meeting or present a sales pitch.
Not only does a fear of public speaking occur in the workplace but also in social situations. This is often called a social phobia where a person will avoid going to parties, gatherings at pubs or even concerts or sports matches because of a worry about embarrassing themselves in front of others. At its extreme there will be social isolation and a problem with building relationships with others. We help our clients overcome a fear of public speaking by teaching our clients tips and strategies to take back control, manage the fear and relax.
Effective Public Speaking
The great thing about speaking in front of others is that it is a skill that can be taught. Now of course we don’t promise to make you the funniest most interesting speaker on the planet but we do hope that we can help our clients become adept at delivering a presentation or speaking out in a meeting without feeling extreme anxiety. So how do we do this? Well we have an entire toolkit of strategies that we deploy with our clients depending on their circumstances.
Positive Visualisation – We know that many of the clients we see with this issue will be thinking about the very worst case scenario when they think about speaking in front of others. Under hypnosis we can help them to concentrate on the very best that can happen using positive suggestion.
Mental Rehearsal – Under the safety of hypnosis we can get our clients to rehearse every scenario they may come across in their minds. By altering patterns of thinking it is possible to create new reactions to a situations.
Practice – If our clients feel comfortable we can of course coach them in our sessions and make them do a speech or read out loud. For extra practice we may suggest that our clients think about joining an organisation such as Toastmasters so that their skills become honed.
NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming can help you to change a phobia or fear by changing communication patterns.
Dealing with Mistakes – Generally a fear of public speaking is created because the person with the problem is concentrating too hard on the mistakes or errors they might make when in front of others. We can help you deal with any minor errors and not let them make you fall to pieces.
Mindfulness – People with anxiety tend to think inwardly and focus on negative feelings. Mindfulness can help you to think externally therefore reducing the fear.
Working Through the Root Cause – With some of our clients it may be necessary to find the root cause of the problem. When did it begin and why? When we have a better understanding of why the fear is there it can be easier to target our coaching and therapy at the precise problem.
Stress Management – Believe it or not some simple relaxation techniques can make all the difference. We help our clients to manage their stress and anxiety levels.
Breathing Techniques – An anxious person will breathe too quickly and try and speak at a million miles to the dozen. With a little assistance it is possible to slow down your speech patterns and regulate your breathing.
Public Speaking Training
A great way to train your mind into feeling calmer when speaking in public is by using a self hypnosis for public speaking audio. Self hypnosis is a way of bypassing your conscious mind and delivering suggestions of calm, relaxation and positive imagery to your subconscious. Many of our clients use our audio downloads to feel calmer and more relaxed between sessions. Even if you are not participating in our coaching sessions you can purchase this audio from our online shop.
Be a Confident Speaker Coaching Programs
If you would like to overcome a fear of public speaking and attend our coaching program then please give us a call to book your appointments. Details of our programs and prices can be found on our website. For minor problems with public speaking expect to book a three session program. If you have a long standing problem with anxiety or would like confidence coaching help then our six session program can help you to take back control and reach your goals.