Overcome public speaking feedback anxiety?

One of the elements that has really made a difference in my own 'stage performance' over the years, had been training. ITV and feedback-loops are tools that helps you become more confident with your actual appearance and work with some small technology and speaking tricks - and rehearse specific methods that actually supports your personal ability to deliver -in line with who you are (and towards the message you are delivering). Preparation breeds confidence, and the more you are aware of your strengths (and opposites) - the more you can build the stage performance around your true self, and come across the stage in an honest way. So use a coach, some media training and surely use an ITV feedback training- is IMHO a good place to start.

Absolutely! Acknowledging your emotions is crucial in conquering public speaking feedback anxiety. 🙌 For instance, when I had to give a presentation, I felt nervous, but I reminded myself that it's okay to feel that way. Using positive affirmations like "I've prepared well" truly helped me feel more confident and in control. 🎤💪

I don’t know many public speakers who do not want emotions! The key to overcoming “nervousness” is to realize that the symptoms of “nervousness” is the same as “excitement”! Think about it- dry mouth, clammy palms, queasy stomach, shaking… these are literally sympathetic nervous system AKA “Fight or flight” symptoms. I WANT to feel these symptoms before I speak. They allow me to be dynamic, animated, and energetic! Convince yourself to be “excited” and you will be! Convince yourself that you are nervous and you’ll be flat, boring, and appear unprepared.

Also, acknowledge the fact that some people don't like you. Remind yourself that "being liked" is NOT a success criterion for public speaking. Being respected is much better. And that starts with respecting yourself. Also, face your worst fear. Let's say that you are afraid that some in the audience will find you stupid or not smart enough .. I can tell you for a fact that that fear is justified. But for every one person who thinks that you are an idiot, I promise you that there are at least two who will find you amazing! Speak to them!

Moreover it's integral to understand that each one of us comes from a different background in terms of upbringing, culture, language and regional areas and hence we all speak differently in terms of tonality, accents and vocabulary too. Don't let these things come in your way and become a barrier in your public speaking journey. Embrace your true authentic self.

Honestly, if you are starting out as a public speaker, you don't need feedback. You only need one thing, and that is someone telling you, that you are amazing! That you are a success for getting up on that stage. Cause you will suck in the beginning and you need to embrace that to get to a position where you suck less. And then, you can start listening for constructive feedback. But staring out, what you really, really need is to place a friend in the front row who smiles at you and tells you afterward that you were great!

Preparing for feedback is essential to grow as a speaker. To train your mind: 1. Embrace a growth mindset: View feedback as a chance to improve, not criticism. 2. Visualize success: Imagine positive reactions to your speech. 3. Seek feedback regularly: Practice with a trusted friend or mentor. 4. Focus on specific aspects: Ask for feedback on areas you want to improve. Feedback is crucial for refining your skills, boosting confidence, and reducing anxiety. By mentally preparing to accept it constructively, you'll become a more resilient and effective public speaker.

Usually, the people in your life who will give you constructive criticism are the people who most want to see you succeed. So, find people you trust, and then take their feedback to make yourself better.

It also doesn’t hurt to engage the moderator in advance. Try to know their style of questioning or how they engage the audience. This helps me establish a form of communication with them that may be non verbal.

Proper preparation is one of the most important ways of making sure that any feedback will be largely or totally positive. Most good public speakers rehearse their talks over and over and over - at time I rehearse it up to fifty or a hundred times. I usually include recording it in a Zoom mode and then review it again and again. After that I ask friends and colleagues to critique and provide feedback - allowing you to get used to receiving feedback in a safe and positive environment.

Have a great message! Tell the audience what you’re going to say (general overview of message), give them the message (detailed and well organized message body), then close by reminding the audience of what you said. Every public speaker started by practicing public speaking and listening to feedback from others. Another great technique is to record yourself while practicing the key points of your speech. Keep practicing until you feel that your points are well made and you are satisfied with your message. Then send the recording to a friend and ask them for their thoughts.

Absolutely, you've captured it well! Emphasizing the value of feedback for personal growth rather than taking it as a judgment on oneself can greatly help in managing public speaking anxiety and improving communication skills. 🗣️📈 This mindset shift allows individuals to learn and evolve from the feedback they receive. 🌱📚

Also understanding that you don’t have to answer every single question. I won’t make up a response. It’s sometimes stress relieving to just say “interesting, I didn’t think of this before and I just don’t know the answer but I’ll be glad to look it up and get you the answer in the future”.

Feedback is massively important being a public speaker and of course not everybody is going to agree with or be invested in what you’re speaking about! That’s just how the world works 🌍 However, it is vital to take all feedback on board to improve yourself and your speeches. Life is all about growing and bettering yourself. Feedback is essential for me especially as I am neurodivergent!

Staying focused on the message is also critical. At times questions or feedback can be tangential or off-topic. It's important to be able to respectfully pivot back to the message. Off topic feedback can be handled one-on-one later.

Filtering feedback effectively involves: 1. Consider the source: Prioritize feedback from credible sources, like experienced speakers or trusted mentors. 2. Relevance: Focus on feedback that aligns with your goals and objectives as a speaker. 3. Specificity: Favor feedback that provides concrete, actionable suggestions rather than vague criticism. 4. Patterns: Look for recurring feedback themes across different sources. 5. Trust your instincts: Ultimately, decide which feedback resonates with your style and aligns with your speaking goals. By filtering feedback in this way, you can sift through the noise and concentrate on the insights that genuinely contribute to your growth as a public speaker.

Several times I've received feedback like this: Your presentation was the best at the conference, but I didn't know that until I saw the others. What does this mean? The right feedback may take time to marinate. Initial reactions are not the same as thoughtful, introspective feedback.

I often get conflicting feedback - "Your talk was too long!" On the same talk "Your talk was too short!" etc. And by filtering it you can decide who you trust most and who has the most experience and qualification to actually warrant offering well-constructed and useful advice.

Keep in mind feedback tells you more about the individual giving the feedback than about you, the speaker. The feedback they are sharing stems from their experiences, preferences, and desires. This is not to minimize receiving feedback, but to put it in perspective. Not all talks, subjects, and/or styles will resonate with all people.

If you listened to 100% of the feedback you will receive from every listener than you will be very confused! Every listener will give you different advice and you can’t take everyone advice or your message will be very hard to follow! You do want to incorporate suggestions that work well in your speaking style; you should always sound like “yourself”. If you incorporate feedback from only one listener then you are in danger of sounding like that person- be yourself!

Responding to feedback professionally involves: 1. Pause and reflect: Take time to process the feedback before responding. 2. Stay calm: Avoid reacting defensively or emotionally. 3. Express gratitude: Thank the giver for their input, showing appreciation. 4. Seek clarification: If necessary, ask for more details to understand the feedback better. 5. Acknowledge action: Share your plan for addressing the feedback or making improvements. 6. Maintain professionalism: Keep the conversation respectful and focused on improvement. By handling feedback in a composed and constructive manner, you foster a positive environment for growth as a public speaker.

I think that the critical element here is not to over-react! Falling into that trap often opens the door for further criticism. Politeness and acknowledgement of someone's effort to provide feedback - good or bad shows huge professionalism.

This is a wonderful opportunity to use everything but the O in OARS! A - Affirmation R - Reflection S - Summarization Offer appreciation for the feedback, sharing that this will help you grow and strengthen your presentation. Reflect back what you heard as the suggestions for change and how those can be implemented. Summarize the overall message of what the giver was sharing (what was the big picture summary, pulling together the types of suggestions - were they content? process? timing?). These do not have to be done in this order, but can maybe be more easily remembered within the OARS context! (the O we aren't using is open ended questions from our lovely Motivational Interviewing friends!)

Public speaking is a journey where every little step matters. It's not about a perfect performance; it's about recognizing the humanity behind the endeavor—the courage, the preparation, and the passion to make a difference. By celebrating achievements, you're fostering a mindset that's akin to my own leadership philosophy of building relationships and loving people. It creates a feedback loop of positivity that can counteract the anxious energy often associated with public speaking. So, give yourself the accolades you deserve, and let others who value your work be a part of your celebration. Remember, human-centered leadership isn't just about leading others; it's also about leading yourself with empathy and kindness on the journey.

A mentor once told me “you are your own worst critic”. He was very right. Yes, all of us can always do better. We all have room to grow. After you speak, take time to reflect on the positive ways you have grown as a speaker and realize that there is always room to improve on weaknesses. Focus on taking small improvement steps to make yourself a better speaker. (Don’t rate yourself thinking that you should have made giant leaps of improvement.)

I love this step, because most of us are not great at celebrating our achievements. So... If you made it here (no matter how the presentation went)... YOU DID IT! You won! We can all learn and grow - that part never stops. Even the most accomplished public speakers are always honing their craft. But this step in the process is about celebrating the accomplishment of having completed the incredible step of delivering a speech, which is no small feat! So now, take that step back and really honor yourself and the process. How can you reward yourself? What can you do to remember this achievement? You deserve this recognition in honor of all your hard work.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS AND THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE MADE OVERCOMING ADVERSITY YOU WILL FIND THAT THE TIME GOES BY VERY FAST and before you know it you're allowed speaking time has been fully achieved.

While I really enjoy public speaking, I am my biggest critic. I’m sure I’m not the only person like this. Focusing on positive feedback from others after a speech where you were critical of yourself always seems to raise morale. Don’t go around saying how bad you thought you did. Instead, let feedback from others come naturally. It’ll likely be better than you thought. If it is negative, just focus on what went well and how you can continue to expand those great parts.

Look for opportunities to speak. Ask service clubs if they are looking for speakers, take a public speaking class at a local community college, join Toastmasters, or volunteer to be the master of ceremonies at an event. The more opportunities you find, the more practiced you will become. This will lead to finding your own speaking style and personal growth.

Feedback isn't about pulling you down; it's about building you up! Firstly, embrace a growth mindset. See feedback as an advantage, an opportunity to refine your speech. Even the extraordinary speakers started somewhere. Secondly, Practice, practice, practice—record yourself, rehearse in front of a mirror, or seek friendly audiences. Slowly, you'll notice your confidence soaring. Lastly, understand that perfection isn't the goal in public speaking; authenticity is. Therefore, embrace your uniqueness and imperfections.

Many, many times when people are giving you feedback, they are really talking about themselves. Especially if it sounds like criticism or has a condescending vibe. This is the feedback nobody likes - and if that happens to you, smile and nod and say, "Interesting, tell me more," and then just let people talk. It's like catching tuna - let them run wild with their thoughts and eventually, they will have nothing left to say - but they will be your new best friend because you listened.

Overcoming public speaking feedback anxiety can be challenging, but remember that growth comes from learning. Embrace constructive criticism as a tool for improvement 🌱, and focus on your progress rather than perfection. Your journey will inspire others facing the same fear 💪.

It took me a lot of years to realize that nothing in the world is perfect. So is our speaking skill. :-) The day we realize that we can always improve but probably can never be perfect is when it becomes easy to speak with absolute confidence and be open to feedback as it comes.