How does speech anxiety affect you? If you are a public speaker and suffer from speech anxiety, you may feel anxious throughout the speech. You may sweat, shake, and be very uncomfortable. You may feel your palms get sweaty, and your knees start to tremble. If you are not aware of your condition and are unable to control your trembling, you can end up in physical symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, and chest pains.
There are several speech anxiety therapies that help you address and manage your speech phobia. Many people turn to medications such as antidepressants or antacids for temporary relief of their symptoms. These medications can help you for the time being but do not treat the root cause of your anxiety. Eventually they will either wear off or lose their effect.
Other sufferers choose to seek out speech anxiety therapy. This is achieved through group sessions or individualized workbooks and programs. The benefit of this type of treatment is that it is usually tailored to your particular needs. You can learn specific techniques to help you speak more freely without fear of awkwardness or discomfort. You also learn how to relax before you speak so that you are prepared mentally before you take your seat. This type of treatment is a much better option than trying to treat your speech anxiety on your own.
You can learn simple ways to help you feel better before your speech. Taking a warm bath before the speech will relax you and allow you to feel more comfortable. Practicing certain breathing techniques will also help you to overcome your anxiety. Speak aloud negative thoughts and think only of positive statements. You may want to write down things that make you feel good, such as family or friends. This will allow you to distract yourself and at the same time focus on the sounds of your speech.
If you feel that you may blush when speaking in public, there are techniques that can be used to help you feel more confident when addressing an audience. Consider talking about something that is embarrassing to you and the purpose behind the story. Remind yourself of what made you feel relaxed, which may have been the subject of conversation in a previous interaction. By recalling the event, you may find that you will not feel nervous at all when it comes time to deliver your speech.
Another popular speech-therapy technique is called “cueing”. This involves using hand gestures or a vocal signal to indicate what key parts of the speech need to be emphasized or mentioned. For instance, if you are reading from a piece of paper, you may point to a specific sentence or paragraph that you want to emphasize. Using this technique properly will help you feel more comfortable and will help you be more effective in delivering your speech.
There are many options available for speech anxiety therapy. Many people find that using various spoken-words, along with self-hypnosis, help them feel more at ease and confident when making public appearances. In fact, it is possible to buy software that will allow you to record your own speech. This speech anxiety therapy option may take some time to work, but it is worth trying out. If you are interested, there are various companies that sell these types of products.
If you have tried all of the above options without success, you may have to see a speech anxiety therapist. There are a number of professionals that specialize in helping those who have trouble with speaking in public. If you are unable to find one in your area, you can also search online for a speech anxiety therapist. Remember to try several different strategies before settling on a particular speech anxiety therapy method. You may have to experiment with several different options before you find one that suits your needs the best.