Public Speaking Visualization

This public speaking visualization is a guided imagery script that uses visualization to allow you to imagine yourself calmly and successfully giving a speech or public performance.

To begin, choose a comfortable position, seated or lying down. Make sure that you have no distractions around you and are not trying to do anything besides focusing on these words and allowing yourself to become relaxed.

Get comfortable, preparing to relax. start to relax your body.

Take a deep breath in…. and breathe out……

In….. and out……

Continue to breathe deeply, slowly, and comfortably.

I’ll count down now, from 10… to 1. As I say each number, you can become more relaxed.

Let’s begin.

10…. feeling your muscle start to relax….

9…. your hands and feet are warming and relaxing…..

8…. your muscles are becoming loose and heavy…..

7….. notice your attention drifting… becoming more relaxed….

6…. relaxing even further now…. peaceful….

5…. a tingly feeling of relaxation spreading through your body… pleasant and relaxed

4…. further relaxed and peaceful….

3…. free of tension…..

2…. almost completely relaxed now…..

1…. you are now deeply relaxed.

Very deeply relaxed and comfortable.

Allow this feeling of relaxation to grow… becoming even more relaxed…. calm and peaceful.

Keep with you the feeling of relaxation as you think about public speaking. Notice your reaction, physically and emotionally, to the concept of talking in public. Perhaps in the past this has been a source of anxiety for you… notice now how you can be relaxed and calm while thinking about speaking in front of others.

Calm and relaxed.

Peaceful and relaxed.

In the future you will know that the stress symptoms you may experience when faced with speaking publicly indicate excitement. This is a positive feeling, filling you with energy. The thought of speaking in front of people fills you with good feelings of excitement and anticipation.

You may even be feeling a bit excited now, just thinking about public speaking. Let this feeling subside as you return to a state of deep relaxation.

Take a deep breath in… hold…. and exhale.

Breathe in…. and out.

In…. out….

Continue to breathe deeply, noticing how you relax a bit more each time you exhale.

Breathe in…. and relax, breathing out.

In…. relax….

Breathe…. relax…..

Keep breathing slowly and calmly. You can relax like this any time you need to. Whenever you want to calm down, you can breathe deeply, and relax… like you are relaxing now.

(pause)

Now let’s begin a guided imagery exercise to allow you imagine successfully speaking in public, and enjoying the positive experience.

In this visualization, imagine that everything goes perfectly. Imagine what it would be like to be the most confident, best speaker a person could possibly be.

Create an image in your mind image of an excellent public speaker…. imagine a confident, well spoken person…. see that this person is you. Picture yourself as a superb speaker.

Begin to create a mental picture of yourself preparing to give a speech. Imagine that you are preparing in advance to speak. You are feeling confident, excited… you’re looking forward to speaking.

After your focused preparation, you are ready to speak. When the day arrives for you to speak, you are excited, eager to begin.

Imagine going to the location where you will speak. See yourself looking forward to speaking. You are excited, eager to talk in public. You can’t wait to share your knowledge. You have memorized the words easily, and know that they will come to you exactly as you need them.

Picture entering the location where you will speak… maybe it is an auditorium…. or another place. Many people are gathered to see you. You love it. They can’t wait to hear what you are going to say and you can’t wait to tell them.

imagine getting up to the front of the room, ready to speak. The crowd waits expectantly.

Picture all the details of this scene. See yourself standing at the front of the room, feeling confident. See the people in front of you, waiting to hear you speak.

Imagine yourself beginning your speech. Confident. Your phrases and words are well timed. All throughout your speech, you are breathing calmly, deeply… pausing between each sentence. You maintain a comfortable, smooth rhythm. You talk with smooth, clear speech. Ideas flow. Your hard work and extensive preparation allow your speaking to be easy, automatic, almost rote. Everything seems so familiar. It is such a great feeling.

Imagine giving your speech. See yourself as you enjoy this moment. You are confident, comfortable, and having a great time.The anticipatory excitement you felt at the beginning has smoothed into a feeling of confidence and calm.

You feel so at home in front of all these people. They listen, enjoying hearing you speak as much as you are enjoying speaking. You enjoy this experience immensely.

When you reach your conclusion, and speak the final words of your prepared speech, imagine giving the audience time to ask questions. You answer every question easily and proficiently. See your excellent answers satisfying each member of the audience.

The audience is pleased with your performance. You are pleased with your performance. The exhilaration at having completed this public speaking fills you with happiness, contentment, and pride. It feels great to have done this. You are a little bit disappointed it is over because you enjoyed it so much.

Notice how you can feel confident and calm when doing public speaking. This includes giving prepared speeches, responding to questions, talking spontaneously to strangers…. you are skilled and able to do any sort of public speaking. You are able to relax before, during, or after you speak. You are confident and assertive.

Practicing this visualization in your mind is like performing actual public speaking. If you are able to do this visualization and be calm, you can also speak in public calmly. Congratulate yourself for completing this challenge.

Now that you have completed this public speaking guided imagery, take a few moments to reawaken your mind and body… gradually becoming more alert.

I’ll count to 5. When I reach 5, you will be fully awake and feeling calm and energized.

1… becoming more awake and alert

2…. feeling your mind and body reawaken

3…. move your muscles a little

4…. almost completely awake now

5…. feeling full of energy and refreshed.

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