5 Beliefs that bring fear to your heart of public speaking.

1) Believing you don’t know enough about the subject.

Having doubts about the content of your speech or presentation means you haven’t studied the topic well, if you believe you don’t know enough then start working hard to get the accurate information and to know everything you can about the topic which will give you the confidence you need.

2) Believing that you will be misjudged.

You can never control what people will think of you, and you shouldn’t bother yourself with that, instead try focusing on your performance, your speech content and style.

Remember that you’re not standing in front of your audience to make them love you, unless you’re getting into elections and even in that credibility and eligibility are what really matter, your purpose is to influence them, to persuade with your topic and to present an unforgettable speech.

3) Believing that you don’t look good enough.

When you’re on stage, the last thing you should worry about is how you look, you definitely have to have a decent look. But it’s not about looking your best, you’re not in a beauty pageant, you should take your audience breath away with your great performance not the way you look.

4) Believing that you’re not fluent in the language you’re using in your speech.

If you’re using a second language and it’s a must use because of the background of your audience, remember to practice a lot, in order to make sure that you're using the right pronunciation. Audio record your rehearsals and let someone who has the language you are using as his 1st language listen to your audio and check if he could understand what you’re saying.

You don’t have to be fluent in the language you’re using, you need to be easily understood and that’s it, as the most important thing is the way you say those words and how you express them.

5) Believing that you don’t have what it takes.

That’s something major to pay attention to, if you believe that your place is not on that stage, that feeling will be easily transferred to your audience.

You don’t have to feel that you’re a super hero over there, what you need is to believe is that your idea is worth to be heard, that your opinion does matter, and your speech has what it takes to inspire and make real change.