“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” -Jerry Seinfeld

The fear of public speaking even supersedes the fear of death-- isn’t that shocking?

If you have a trembling voice, an accelerated heartbeat, shortness of breath or sweaty palms when you go behind the podium, it is a clear indicator that you are suffering from performance anxiety.

The key to overcoming this anxiety and the fear of public speaking is the lack of confidence, preparation, and practice, along with the lack of knowledge about your audience.

A great presentation script is the first step in which a lot of research and time should go into its preparation. In order to deliver it proficiently, you need confidence that would come only with practice.

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Knowing that you can deliver the presentation boosts your confidence and lowers the anxiety levels. Also, learning as much as possible about your audience would allow you to find common grounds where your material and their needs can meet.

This can be very helpful in emphasizing more on the parts of the presentation that you feel can be more relatable to the audience.

Quickly weeding out things that can come across as irrelevant for them.

Check out this infographic created by our friends over at Malcolm Andrews Executive Training, originally titled “Do you need to give presentations?” for more tips that can help you in delivering a world class speech by overcoming the anxiety of speaking in front of a live audience.