It’s just you and a vast ocean. 

Well, it’s more like a vast ocean of hundreds of people staring at you, almost ominously, as your pupils widen in anxiety and your calloused hands grip the microphone ever so tightly, all with a fearful frown. In simple terms, this is recalled as the fear of public speaking, which many students struggle with. And that’s okay. 

But we’re not individuals wishing to fall into that nightmarish ocean’s deep end, right? You can be the deep diver who doesn’t succumb to the fear but rather overcome it. How there are many ways to scuba dive—there are just as many to successfully orate a speech without incredibly stuttering. 

Let’s start with the obvious. Practice. This anxiety stems in a multitude of forms: wobbly hands, stuttering speech, trembling legs, sweaty palms, and many more. However, we can restrict these limitations on your perfect dive by practicing early on. The more familiar you are with your address, the more confident you are to flawlessly perform it. This is parallel to when an individual needs their scuba dive gear or their meticulous days of practice to be self-assured enough before diving into the cavernous seas. And so, it is essential to rehearse on your own, maybe even record yourself to identify any mistakes and speak aloud, in front of a family member or a teddy bear.  

Swimming away from the manifest, the second tip is to illustrate your success. Take a deep breath, and simply imagine. Imagine yourself enunciating each word with solace & poisedness, but what’s even better is the result. The mere satisfaction of announcing your oration without sweaty palms or wobbly hands, just seems so joyful right? Pay attention to how that feels, and let that rest in your mind whenever you get nervous.  

These are just a few ways to overcome the fear of public speaking, and there is a boundless ocean of ways to take that perfect dive of a speech. Just breathe, and never allow that wave to come crashing down, because you are capable. Capable of orating that speech so that people stare at you, almost in awe, as your pupils dilate in pride and your soft hands gently grip the microphone, all with a smile.