5 Reasons to Get Over Your Fear of Public Speaking

As an entrepreneur, many of us get the opportunity to speak to a large audience or group. However, I know way too many people who have turned down these GREAT opportunities.

Why? Well, they are shy and scared of public speeches. Public speaking is one of the quickest ways to grow your network and stature in the entrepreneurial world.

Growing up, I was a pretty shy kid. When it came time for my first speaking gig, I was pretty reluctant. I was scared, but I got some great advice.

My friend’s father told me, “Public speaking scares me shitless. Growing my business, meeting some of the greatest minds in the industry, and making the crowd laugh just makes me giddy. I love doing one, but hate doing the other so it’s okay after all.”

So using this advice, I decided to give public speaking a shot. I’ve been doing it for almost 8 months now and it has completely changed my world. I’m going to share with you 5 reasons to get over your fear of public speaking.

1. You Get To Hangout With The Cool Kids

Well, they are more than just cool and definitely aren’t kids…..but the company is great. Speaking at events gives you the opportunity to connect with many other speakers.

You immediately get to network with individuals who have accomplished great things. Remember, it helps to know a lot of talented individuals in business because you never know when they can help you!

Speaking gigs have given me the opportunity to meet people like Mike DeLazzer (co-founder of Redbox), Jeff Hoffman (co-founder of Priceline), Farrah Gray, and many other amazing business minds.

2. Your Business & You Become 10x More Credible

Speakers are seen as authority figures. Thus, a speaker and his company are also seen as authority figures. Speaking puts your company on a grand plateau.

Speaking opportunities make your business and you far more credible. Credibility and trust are two very important things for startups and new businesses. Consistent speaking opportunities can slowly build trust and credibility for your business.

3. Builds Your Community

Speaking events can really help build your community. Whether you own a business or run a blog, you know how valuable a strong community is. Whether your community consists of email subscribers or followers/likes on social media, it can have a huge impact on your businesses long-term success.

Speaking gigs allow you to publicly promote your social media accounts, blogs, or business websites. When a crowd of 500 people hear you speak and see your social media information, it’s safe to say 10-15% of them will subscribe to your updates.

Speaking opportunities have helped me greatly increase my social media following. Surprisingly, the connections made during these speaking events usually end up engaging with me the most.

4. You Get To Educate & Inspire

One of the biggest reasons I got into speaking was because I had an opportunity to educate and inspire others. I love speaking to younger crowds because I want to show them that anything is possible.

Speaking gives you a great group of people whom you can speak to and share anything you want. This opportunity is rare, but it gives you the ability to change other peoples lives.

Speaking doesn’t always have to be about what you can get out of it. There are many aspiring entrepreneurs looking for advice and some motivation.

5. You Get To See New Places

Speaking gigs usually can take place anywhere in the world. If the hosts of the event are gracious enough to cover your travel and lodging costs, you may be in for a great treat!

Speaking opportunities can allow you to travel to new places, meet new people, and explore new areas. One of my favorite parts about speaking is that I get to see new places and travel while getting things done.

Conclusion

While public speaking is something that can definitely be scary, we as entrepreneurs already know how to overcome our fears for greater good. Speaking can not only benefit your business, but it can also change the lives of others.

photo credit: WilliamMarlow via photopin cc