Get to the Root of Fear
There are several techniques for mastering unnecessary fear of public speaking that are significantly more effective at getting at the roots of the fear.
Rituals to induce a trance have been recorded since the beginning of history, often in conjunction with religious mysteries. In 1842, Scottish neurosurgeon James Braid wrote a booklet identifying hypnotism as “the induction of a habit of intense concentration of attention” to the extent that breathing became slow and shallow.
Hypnotherapy, the use of the hypnotic state to treat a physical or mental condition, is perhaps the most underutilized miracle tool in medicine (stage hypnotists use the same state for entertainment purposes). There are numerous scientific studies that validate the use of hypnosis for anxiety, stress, smoking addiction, insomnia, pain management, headaches, and other disorders. The most effective way to use a hypnosis session to achieve a goal is to tape-record it and then listen to the tape as you fall asleep for twenty-one nights. This will help embed the message in the subconscious.
If you feel extremely shy about getting on stage and instructing others, you might want to consider the unique help available from psychotherapy. Few Americans have had the experience because it has had a stigma that the only people who need it are “in trouble” or “crazy.” While it is true that people often see a psychologist or a psychiatrist when they face disturbing problems in their lives, patients do tend to be both wealthier and more educated than average. After achieving some level of material success people facing serious difficulties in their professional or personal lives may seek the benefits of therapy. Far from being a technique to fix “nut cases,” it is actually a very sophisticated way to get to know yourself. This may seem paradoxical to those with low self-esteem, but as you come to know yourself better, you will have more self-confidence about expressing yourself in public.
Sigmund Freud, who founded the school of psychoanalysis, started out as a hypnotherapist in the 1890s, but believed his “talking cure” was more effective and by 1905 had abandoned overtly using hypnosis. But in 1919, he decided that combining the two could speed the recovery of his patients.
There are numerous schools of therapy that are based on theories about how the mind works and the best way to heal dysfunction, as described in
Using psychotherapeutic drugs has also become another way to gain some of the benefits, such as relief from depression, in a relatively fast and less expensive way. However, they do not completely substitute for psychotherapy.
Regardless of whether any other technique works, a good way to distract yourself from worrying about speaking is to engage in some fun the night before. Go dancing, watch a movie, see a show, or immerse yourself in conversation with friends over dinner.
A spiritual path, defined in the broadest terms as belief that there is more to life than the material world, can help you work through the challenges of becoming a successful speaker.
In the famous twelve-step programs used to treat addictions, the individual is asked to turn himself over to the will of a Higher Power. While most people would call this God, these programs stress that it is possible for an agnostic or even an atheist to succeed by seeing the support group in this role as “a power greater than yourself.” Or one could believe that miracles come about through the mysterious powers of the mind. You might pray for success in achieving the goals of your speech and that you will be inspired to say the right things in the best way.
There are a number of programs that address the psychological and spiritual “big picture” issues that enhance emotional stability, such as the Landmark Forum, InnerQuest Adventures, Tony Robbins's personal transformation seminars, and The Artist's Way workshops (based on the book of the same name by Julia Cameron, these involve exercises to enhance creativity).
