Obviously, the most effective tool for dealing with public fear is preparation for the speech and the audience, and familiarity with the techniques for speaking in front of an audience. At the same time, there are several ways to locally deal with an anxiety attack, and it is always good to know another method. In this article I want to present three super-simple, but super-effective methods for local relief of crowd fear. So please - just because these are simple tips don't give up on them.
A. walk
Walking is a very effective tool for dealing with all types of anxiety, including fear of crowds. It helps for several reasons first of all because it helps to 'burn' the adrenaline. As you know, adrenaline is a hormone that is secreted during anxiety, and causes the urge to attack or run away. Moderate physical activity such as walking consumes the adrenaline and lowers tension and stress.
Second, walking puts the body into a routine. By walking, we divert part of the brain's activity to an action that does not require making decisions or dealing with judgment, and which makes us feel more in control. Thirdly, any physical activity releases into the blood substances called Endomorphines which are the body's natural sedatives.
So how to use the technique? If you can a few minutes before your speech, go for a short walk (important in an air-conditioned place, so you don't come back sweaty). If you are part of a discussion, it is possible when your turn approaches to go to the bathroom and go up or down a few floors to do so. Make sure to walk at a steady pace.
B. drinking water
As we know, crowd fear consists of primary anxiety (the fear of failure) and secondary anxiety (the fear of the fear - the fear of the physical symptoms caused by the fear). Drinking water relieves one of the most common secondary symptoms: dry throat. In this way it helps us in speaking, and more importantly, drinking water makes us feel that we are doing something active in order to succeed in the speech.
Do you drink other drinks? For most of us, caffeine increases blood pressure and alertness and therefore may be harmful, but I have already encountered many people who caffeine helps them feel more energetic and ready to give a speech. In that case drinks like coffee, Coca-Cola or Red Bull can help. For example, I recommend to those who organize home class Ensure an unlimited supply of caffeine (and carbohydrates...) for the participants.
Soft drinks with sugar give a local 'high', which is replaced in about ten minutes by a drop of sugar. So if the main problem is anxiety in the first moments of the speech, maybe orange juice or another soft drink can help.
Alcohol may also help but may harm. Some people find that a small amount of alcohol will calm them down and improve their mood. On the other hand, alcohol impairs concentration and sharpness and sometimes also triggers new anxieties.
Therefore, the conclusion is that each person should know himself and the way in which different drinks affect him. One effect is universal: if you drink too much, and the speech is too long, pressure will build up in the bladder...
third. Deep breaths
Sometimes you can see in movies panicked people having trouble breathing because they are breathing fast. This is not just a dramatic exaggeration, there really is a phenomenon called 'hyperventilation', during which people under stress increase their heart rate and breathing rate and as a result become even more stressed.
This phenomenon has a circular nature, when rapid breathing and a rapid pulse cause a feeling of pressure, and the release of adrenaline. Therefore, an effective technique to stop the phenomenon is to stop, take a few deep breaths and release the air slowly.
By the way, speaking too fast also has a similar effect, because speaking too fast requires breathing too fast, and therefore stresses the speaker. For this reason, I recommend to many people whose fear-of-the-audience manifests itself in fast and stressed speech to write on their chapter-headings the words "L-D-B-R L-A-T" in capital letters.