Getting Over Communication Fears

Fear isn't always a bad thing; sometimes it helps to remind us that we are humans. But, we have to become aware of our fears that might stop us from communicating with other people. Jerry Seinfeld once said, "According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."

When it comes to presentations, there are several ways you can practice to help you overcome your fear. One way is to make a setting that will simulate where you have to give your speech, and practice there. Another strategy that works for some people is practicing your speech in front of a mirror. Doing this will let you know how much you are making eye contact with the audience. Another way you can practice eye contact is give the presentation to some of your friends. Ask them to notice how often you are making eye contact with them so you can know where to improve. Make sure that you visualize your success. This basically means that before you give your speech, you need to imagine how it is going to go. Doing this well help prepare you, and also help you get over your fear. If you have it in your mind that you are going to do well on the speech before you give it, it will actually make you feel less tense.

Another fear a lot of people have is communicating to people one on one. A good way to to let another person know you are wanting to talk to them is by leaving them a voicemail. Just call them and say, "when you arrive at work let's find some time to chat face-to-face; I need your input on a touchy matter." Doing this will let them know that you are a little uneasy about the topic and it will hopefully make them easier to talk to. Once you've left a voicemail, you have now made it public knowledge to the other person that you need to talk to them. Some things you should do to make the conversation go well are;

Talk at a slow-to-normal pace, in short sentences.

Use a pleasant tone

Use simple sentence structure (subject-verb-object) and high-frequency words

Be an active listener

Since we are all getting our MBA's, there is a very good chance you are going to have to make a speech or give a presentation at your company. Now is the time to start practicing good communication skills and trying to coach yourself to be fearless about communicating.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."-FDR
 "Do one thing every day that scares you." - FDR's wife