Confidence is an inbuilt ability of a person to overcome his fears. Many people are blessed with this ability, but for others, it’s a skill to develop themselves.
Lack of confidence can make you nervous, anxious, and fearful while speaking in front of a group. Speaking in front of your class might be challenging when everyone is watching you. Some students are blessed with the ability to speak with confidence, while others might stutter or won’t be able to speak properly and sweat with fear of not being able to convey their thoughts.
The salient point is that you can practice improving your speaking skills and get the confidence you ever desire while speaking.
*Accept that you will make some mistakes while speaking, focus on your words and thoughts instead of mistakes.
* Do not hurry while you speak, as it may make you stutter. Speak slowly and thoughtfully.
* If you start to feel nervous, start thinking about your talking points instead of thinking about what could go wrong.
* Maintain eye contact and avoid looking at other sides while talking to someone.
* Be the first one to raise your hand in the classroom when a question is asked.
* Volunteer to speak in front of your class as often as possible.
* Keep giving challenges to yourself every day, for example talking for five minutes at least with someone you get nervous with.
* Make some friends who can speak with confidence and practice with them.
* Talk to someone in your class whose speaking skills are admired by you.
* Practice initiating their style and confidence in your daily life by observing and following their traits of speech.
* Imagine speaking in front of an audience / your class, and practice speaking in a louder tone.
* Stand in front of a mirror and practice speaking with yourself, considering that another person is on the opposite side.
*Visualize yourself speaking confidently and try to talk about what you know well during the conversation.
* Concentrate on the main message of your speech and make it obvious to deliver the same to other students in your class.
* Organize your thoughts and structure your talk accordingly.
* Manage your anxiety by sharing your fears with your parents, a teacher, or a guidance counselor.
Remember that taking steps to deal with your feelings of anxiety can also make public speaking easier and your confidence will grow with every public speaking experience.
