People who feel shy or intimated by public speaking can follow several steps to help overcome their doubts. Clear, confident speeches need to begin with organization, an outline, practice, voice control, and even artificially high confidence.

Public speakers should start with a few basics steps. Focusing on a topic, assessing how much time is allotted, what props are needed, and any other details are important in the planning phase. There will be a big difference between a speech that is 2 minutes in length and in front of 8 peers and a speech that is at least 20 minutes and requires a slide show and written materials to be handed out to the audience. The location of the presentation is an important consideration, as well as if there will be a podium, a microphone, and how many people will attend.

Those in attendance, the audience, are central to the presentation, and their expectations should be considered with great attention. Discovering who the audience is will direct the presentation to them and create a relationship with them that will give value to the presentation. This relationship will also help turn the presentation into more of a conversation between friends than an overwhelming speech among strangers.

After the presenter has reviewed the basic format of the presentation and the needs of the audience, it is time to develop an outline for the presentation. The presenter can use a format similar to one used for writing a research paper, where there are an Introduction, Points A, B, C, and so on, and a Conclusion. The outline will help keep the presenter focused on the individual points of the speech, instead of panicking about give one large presentation all lumped together.

Speakers who memorize speeches word for word can actually do more harm than good because if even one word is forgotten, the whole speech can be thrown off and the speaker can feel he has lost control. The outline approach divides the speech into sub-sections that are easier to remember. A speech should also not be written down and read word for word. The audience usually becomes bored and does not connect with the presenter or the topic. If no connection is made, it might make the speaker feel even more uncomfortable.

Public speakers should also pay attention to their voices, both the volume and the tone. People who sound nervous are often speaking too quietly. This is where establishing the basic plan is important and the awareness of the presentation location and any audio devices used. If a shy presenter wants to feel more confident, he should practice sounding confident, even if he doesn’t feel that way. Experimenting with different volume levels and tones can improve the presentation and build confidence. If the speaker can add excitement and or animation to the presentation, it is likely to add to the authority of the presentation and enhance the information presented.

While there is no one easy strategy for overcoming shyness, there are several things people can do to alleviate some of the stress and make the experience more rewarding. Planning, preparing, connecting with the audience, and rehearsing in confident vocal varieties will help move a presenter from a quiet, read speech to a confident, conversational presentation.

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