While there are many ways to deal with a fear of public speaking or "stage fright" (and we reveal some of those ways on our fear of public speaking page), many experts recommend taking classes in public speaking to give you practice in speaking before a group, which can increase your expertise and reduce your fears. 

Invest in Yourself and Take Public Speaking Training

While there are many reasons people are uneasy giving speeches in public, one main reason is not having enough experience with public speaking to gain confidence.  That's where public speaking classes are helpful.

What to look for in a Public Speaking Class

It may seem obvious, but you want a class which will give you plenty of practice, which means you want to have a smaller class so everyone gets to give several speeches.  If at all possible, it's good to take a class which extends over several weeks, or an ongoing speaking club. That way you can practice numerous times and increase your confidence and comfort level over time. 

Shorter seminars or workshops can be good if you want to practice before an upcoming presentation, or if you want to learn a specialized presentation technique, such as giving a slide show.

You can find public speaking classes and training at a variety of places: 

at your community college, either through credit courses or non-credit short-term classes;

by joining public speaking clubs such as Toastmasters International and POWERtalk International.  These types of clubs provide practice in public speaking, as well as networking opportunities, often for a reasonable price;

through companies such as Dale Carnegie Training and The Leader's Institute;

by hiring a public speaking coach, either individually or for group training.  Professional individuals who are adept at  public speaking will give you insights on how you can work to improve your public speaking technique.

Though not technically a class, another method of improving your public speaking technique is by observing good speakers.  Attend speeches as much as possible.  These could be free lectures given at public libraries or hospitals, presentations at neighborhood meetings or Chambers of Commerce. 

Public Speaking Courses from our Blog:

Synonyms:  Classes, courses, training, workshops and seminars are used synonymously.  

Raining, rtaining, taining, tarining, trining, trianing, traning, traniing, traiing, traiinng, trainng, trainnig, trainig, trainign and trainin are typos for "training."