Why we don’t feel well before an important speech ?
The night has fallen, the building is full, and there is no noise despite the presence of many people. Suddenly, the person watching the corridor calls out to us: “It’s almost your turn. Get ready!” Shortly afterward, I headed with my teammates towards the famous room where the team debate competition takes place.
Before that moment, I felt unbearable stress, my heart was pounding like crazy, my friends were talking to me, but I wasn’t really listening because my mind was somewhere else.
This doesn’t happen only to me, anyone on this planet can feel extremely uncomfortable, in their own way, before giving an important speech in front of an audience.
Even the most experienced public speakers feel it, although to a lesser degree, before stepping onto the stage.
But why do we put ourselves in such a state before every public speaking engagement?
There are 3 good reasons to explain this:
1. The fear of being criticized by others: Everyone love being complimented positively because we want to feel important. So, when people criticize your work negativelty, you sometimes take it badly, which makes you more anxious. The fear of criticism exists and can hold you back from making progress.
2. The fear of making mistakes: Generally, when giving a speech in front of an audience, you know what you’re going to talk about and how you’re going to deliver your message to try to convince them. Nevertheless, sometimes doubts about a source or a particular argument can make you afraid of saying something incorrect or outdated that could influence the audience’s judgment.
Maybe, after giving a speech, you replayed the entire discussion in your head and asked yourself countless questions, such as:
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“Why didn’t I express it this way?”
“I should have used the other argument I had prepared.”
“Why did I say that? I’m ridiculous!”
And a lot of other questions.
3. The fear of not being prepared enough: Have you noticed that some students study just a few hours before an exam? Perhaps you’ve done it yourself. Sometimes, you’ve prepared well, but deep down, you feel that something is missing or that you haven’t done it properly. This feeling can lead to stress, breathing difficulties, and so on.
Don’t worry, you can learn to control these feelings:
- Learn to accept criticism from others and turn it into your strength. Even criticism that is difficult to hear can give you enough motivation to improve several of your skills, such as communication, stress management, time management, etc.
- Mistakes don’t happen for no reason. They are signs of experience gained and self-improvement. After all, nothing in life is perfect.
- Preparing before every speech is important, but don’t make a big deal out of it. Learn to improvise from time to time because unexpected situations always happen when you least expect them.
I hope you found this article useful.
Have you ever had a similar experience that taught you how to control your emotions before an important speech?
Share your experience in the comments.
