How to reduce your anxiety

In response to my survey, 50% among you indicated that you felt a lot of anxiety at the thought of delivering a speech.

How can this be improved upon? A good place to start is by asking yourself the following question: "Why am I so anxious?" The answer can often be summarized as follows: you're expecting a disaster!

Here are some sample "catastrophic events" and ways you reduce the anxiety you may feel.

What if I forget what I am supposed to say: the bad news is that it can happen. The good news is that nobody knows what you are supposed to say! I often end a speech and then realize that I forgot to mention something. Nobody notices but me... if I don't make a big deal out of it. So the lesson is not to make a big deal out of it. If you don't say you forgot something, nobody will notice.
They expect me to fail: nobody attends a speech thinking "I hope this speaker is hopelessly boring." Even if they disagree with you, few people want you to fail. Most audience members want you to succeed in delivering an interesting speech, a speech where they have learned something and where they had a little fun.
I am stressed: if you are somewhat anxious, it may be because you have excess energy. Relaxation and breathing exercises can help. Do them about 30 minutes before your speech. There are a few exercises on the site, but you can also try this: using a pen or a pencil, draw 8's on a piece of paper. Make sure they are round. It's very difficult to make round 8's when you are tense. By trying to "round them out" it will force you to relax.
I am no good: you may have a bad opinion of yourself when you perform an activity that is unfamiliar or that stresses you. If you feel that your speaking skills ar insufficient, work on improving them. Take a course, get a coach or join Toastmasters International. The more you speak to an audience, the better you will control your anxiety.
I am afraid of failing: when I begin to have these thoughts, I realize after the fact that I am never as bad as I thought I would be. Never. It will be the same for you. Remember how it was in school? If you made a mistake, the teacher would call you on it and the kids would laugh at you. What is the result? We do not allow ourselves to make mistakes. Don't pressure yourself into delivering a perfect speech. Instead, strive to be yourself with all your strengths and weaknesses. That's all your audience wants.

You may have noticed that the scenarios described are not very catastrophic. It's actually the apprehension of these situations that causes anxiety. Once that apprehension is controlled, anxiety is reduced or eliminated.

Remember: your thought determine your feelings. If you want to change how you feel, start by modifying your thoughts.