Identify and describe, in detail, at least four strategies for managing speech anxiety

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer would include four of the following:
1. Address Issues that you are passionate about. You are more likely to speak with confidence if you are addressing a topic that really matters to you and your audience. Personal involvement in the topic at hand will likely cause anxiety to fade as you focus on your arguments and the importance of persuading your audiences.
2. Being well-prepared is a powerful strategy for managing communication apprehension. It functions as a psychological defense for you, as you can remind yourself of your careful preparation. It also shows your audience that you have worked hard, which will encourage them to will fulfill their responsibility to listen carefully and constructively to what you have to say. Being prepared involves research, rehearsing your speech out-loud, and giving yourself plenty of time to write and deliver your speech.
3. Develop a positive attitude. People with high speech anxiety have correspondingly higher negative attitudes about giving speeches. Developing a positive attitude can help to combat this anxiety. Practice thinking about it as an opportunity to change minds, to share what you know, or to make a real difference in the community where you live.
4. Practice your speech. Prepare your speech well in advance and give yourself ample time to practice.
5. Anticipate the speaking situation. Gathering information about your audience and the speaking situation before you speak helps you focus on the audience right from the start. Whenever someone invites you to make a speech, try to obtain as much information as you can.
6. Active listening can be a powerful tool for managing communication apprehension. Listening closely to speakers who go before you will draw your attention away from your own anxieties and may even give you ideas about last-minute changes to your own speech.
7. Simple exercises can help you to relax and decrease your anxiety. One excellent way to relax is by breathing deeply. Deep breathing allows you to take in a large quantity of air, giving you a good supply of oxygen and the potential for enhanced vocal control. Isometric exercise, which involves tensing and then relaxing specific muscles, can also be a useful relaxation technique. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, running, or swimming, is not only good for your cardiovascular system and general well-being, but it also helps reduce tension.
8. Exceptional answers will draw on content from Learning Objective 3.2 to explain which of these strategies might best address the different forms anxiety can take.