CHAPTER 10

Managing Fear and Anxiety

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TIP 85: Accept your fear.

The fear of public speaking can never be eliminated. In fact, we contend that the fear of public speaking should not be eliminated! Yes, you read right. Anxiety, a natural reaction to stress, causes your body to release adrenaline, which raises your physical and mental performance. So, rather than fearing fear, you should embrace fear as a friend that enables you to speak more effectively.

Speakers often blurt out, “I’m so nervous,” at the beginning of an impromptu or a prepared speech at a Toastmaster meeting. Invariably, the constructive feedback they get is, “Well, you actually ...

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