3 Tips For Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking
Picture this: your boss asks you to give a presentation about a project you have been working on for months. Your slide deck looks so dynamic that you consider moonlighting as a graphic designer, you walk into the room, greet everyone with a smile and navigate through the presentation with ease and confidence.
For many people, this scenario sounds like a far-fetched dream. Elyse Reneau, Global Beauty Director for Too Faced Cosmetics thought so too, until she looked her fear of public speaking in the eyes and set out to conquer it so that she could rock any public speaking gig in her path.
She shared some tips with us on the latest installment of Generation Hired’s Office Hours. Be prepared to take notes!
Visualize your own success.
Elyse got real about why public speaking terrified her: when she was younger, a room full of her classmates laughed at her during a presentation. Everyone has their own experiences with public speaking, but if yours mirrors Elyse’s, consider visualization.
Elyse shared, “I was focusing on everything I didn’t want to have happen instead of focusing on everything I wanted to happen.”
Remember the scenario? Close your eyes, calm your nerves and visualize every detail about you totally rocking your next public speaking opportunity. Think about how poised you will be, think about everyone picking up on the joke you made mid-way through, think about the power suit you’ll be wearing.
“Whatever I want to happen the next day, I go through it, I feel the feeling of what it WILL feel like for that success to happen, then I go into that meeting confident that I know it’s going to happen because I already told my brain where I want it to go. I’m not going to think about those other things,” Elyse said.
While visualization takes some practice, experts suggest that it can help you to train your brain to expect success.
Pick your power pose.
One technique that Elyse learned from a TED Talk was to use power posing to your advantage. Elyse used the example of marathon runners who complete the course by raising their arms up to celebrate their success.
“It raises testosterone levels and lowers your cortisol levels,” said Elyse about this version of the power pose. “It will give you a boost of confidence when you do it!”
Before heading into an interview, a huge presentation or any event where you’ll be in the spotlight, Elyse recommends planting your feet firmly on the ground, controlling your breathing and giving your best superhero pose to the mirror.
Practicing and studying is key.
Your “Public Speaking 101” professor probably told you to prepare yourself with notecards, but Elyse is a strong advocate of practicing.
“I like to practice in the mirror, it made me feel silly at first. Then, I started recording myself and pretending that I was talking to a friend,” said Elyse.
While some people may be able to nail it in two takes, don’t stress yourself out if you need a few more times to feel comfortable.
Start by doing your research. Elyse cited multiple TED Talks and the book You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero as resources that helped her be a better public speaker.
Getting comfortable with public speaking is a journey, but with a bit of preparation and confidence, you totally have what you need to succeed.
Learn more amazing tips about everything career at our past and future Office Hours sessions at Generation Hired that will help you find, land and crush your dream job.
About Elyse Reneau
Elyse Reneau is the Global Beauty Director for Too Faced Cosmetics. Elyse has more than 17 years in the beauty industry with her work being featured in shows like “Orange is The New Black” and “The Big Bang Theory”. Now you can catch Elyse representing Too Faced on live television and empowering people via social media and beyond.
