Tips for Public Speaking Nerves - Conquering the Fear of Speaking

Posted by kunal on March 27th, 2019

What? You are a woman, what do you mean you have Fear of speaking on the Telephone?  Funny right, but oh so true! Ever since I was a little girl, I was shy to speak. I'm not sure where this shyness stems from but I continued to grow up and I began to blossom a little and come out of my little shell. I was a Secretary for many years and still had fears about talking on the phone. I attended communication seminars, conquering the fear of speaking read lots of articles about communicating over the phone with people and yet still find moments in my life where I am afraid to pick up the phone and speak to anyone. Those who know me would probably say, "no way!" Yes, I had Phone Phobia!

Speaking on the phone is like speaking in public. Many people do not know how to express themselves over the phone and much less in public. Many people take hours to prepare themselves prior to making a phone call because of the fear of being ridiculed. How do you know if you have phone phobia? Many people who fear speaking over the phone usually are afraid of what the person on the other side is thinking about them. You cannot see their facial expression so that places an intimidation on you. Many people forget what they were going to ask the person over the phone, they get nervous and don't know how to handle that situation. Often times they get extremely nervous and their voice begins to quiver.

Have you noticed that some of your friends rather text message you or even just send you an e-mail rather than speaking to you on the phone? Maybe you have a certain fear of the phone and you are the one who avoids talking. People can hear your tone from the other side and can tell if there is something wrong, they can hear your nervousness, your frustrations and your emotions quite clearly over the phone. It's amazing what one phone call can tell.

Here's How I Conquered the Fear to Speak on the Telephone:

Write a Script - I prepared a script that would help me talk to my prospects. I had to do a few of them just to feel comfortable with what I was saying and to make sure that the other person didn't think I was just reading a script.

Accept Refusal - I had to accept the fact that not all the people I was going to speak with were going to say, "yes." I had to move forward and keep talking to people.

Be at your Best - When I was going to make a call, I had to make myself feel comfortable first then make the call, this way I would be more relaxed and assertive at the same time.

Know what you are offering - It is extremely important to know what you are offering your prospect prior to making the call. Understand your product and the company you are working with clearly. Having the complete confidence in your product and company will help you build your own self-esteem.

I mentally prepare myself each day with the thought that this Fear has been conquered and I know I will be successful each and everyday. Working from home and being an Internet Marketer, I had to conquer this fear immediately, otherwise I was not going to be successful.