How to Overcome Speech Anxiety
Helping your Students Conquer their Fears of Public Speaking
Public speaking can be a student's greatest fear. There are six techniques you can adopt in your classroom to help students cope with anxiety.
Look around a speech class, university level or high school, and you’ll notice it’s filled with upperclassmen even though most courses are developed for freshman. Unfortunately, students put off taking the class and learning important skills that could help them in school because they are afraid.
It’s not just students who are afraid of giving speeches, most adults cite public speaking as their greatest fear, but students are particularly susceptible to anxiety due to the highs and lows of adolescence. There are six steps you can use in the classroom to help students conquer their fears and become accomplished speakers.
Create a Positive Classroom Environment
The most important step can, and should, start on the very first day of class. As the teacher, you create the energy in the classroom. In a speech class where many of the students are nervous, it is important to create an environment where students feel comfortable with you. If you are discouraged or act like you’d rather be somewhere else, so will your students. Be positive and encourage students to participate.
Let Students Get to Know One Another
This step should also start on the first day when students are nervous because they may not know anyone in the class. First, have students introduce themselves, sharing with the class where they are from, what their major is, and something interesting about themselves. Next, try an icebreaker to get students talking with one another. Icebreakers do work really well with college age students as long as you keep it short and simple.
Tell Students they are Normal
Remind students that being nervous is normal. Go around the room and have each person quickly tell what makes them nervous about giving a speech in class. This activity will help them see that they are not alone. Spend a large part of the class period giving stats and examples of public speaking fears. Give examples of celebrities and former students who overcame these fears. Not only do they need to know it’s okay to be scared, they also need to know that they can conquer these fears.
Test Your Students
Present students with a questionnaire aimed at gauging their level of anxiety. Ask questions like: Do you tremble? Do you experience a feeling of helplessness? Do you have trouble sleeping the night before a speech? If a student scores high, encourage him or her to set an appointment with you for some one-on-one help.
Teach Students Coping Skills
Once you’ve set up a positive environment and support system for your students, teach them ways to cope with anxiety on their own.
- Faking it – Explain that usually the audience cannot tell whether or not a speaker is truly confident or pretending to be confident.
- Visualization – Ask students to visualize giving the speech. They should positively visualize everything from the room layout to walking up to give the speech to actually giving the speech.
- Preparation – Practice. Practice. Practice.
- Extemporaneous Speaking – Many students are afraid of forgetting what they are going to say. If you encourage them to speak extemporaneously, they will not have to worry about remembering every single word or detail (or losing their place if they are reading). Before students approach the front of the class, make sure they are just using an outline.
- Relax – Encourage students to adopt a relaxation technique that works well for them.
- Cognitive Restructuring – Help students learn to notice negative thoughts and practice turning them into positive thoughts.
Teaching students to overcome speech anxiety is essential in helping them become successful public speakers and successful adults.
