Jerry Seinfeld once said, “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Death is number two. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” 

Clearly, public speaking is a very common fear, and it is one that many pastors and teachers struggle with. Maybe you’re one of those people. You feel strongly that God has called you to preach and teach the gospel to the people in your church and your community, but you struggle with the fear of speaking in front of a crowd.  

 If that’s you, I want to give you 4 quick tips to help you as you fight to overcome your fear of speaking.  

1. Know your content backward and forwards.

Being familiar and confident with the content you’re speaking about is one of the best ways to overcome your fear of public speaking. So it’s important that you give yourself plenty of time to prepare and practice your message. Practice giving the message out loud, just like you will in front of the congregation. Once you’re more familiar with the content, a great place to practice is in the car where you are uninterrupted, no one can hear you, and you can figure out how well you know the content without having to reference your notes.  

2. Use prayer as a weapon.

Scripture promises us over and over again that God will give us peace and comfort when we need it. So if you’re feeling extra nervous, or the fear of speaking is overwhelming you, spend time in prayer asking Him to give you peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). You can also go a step further and ask other people to pray for you as well. You can ask your spouse, a trusted friend, or you can even assemble a prayer team at your church to pray over you before each service.  

3. Don’t worry if there’s silence. 

One of the consistent accompanying fears of speaking in public is the fear of awkward silence while speaking. But what you might not realize is that sometimes pausing is a good thing. When you pause during a sermon, you’re allowing your audience time for your words to sink in or for them to process what you’ve told them so far. You give them space to soak in the message and then prepare to keep listening as you keep preaching. So don’t worry if you don’t fill every second of your time with your words. Use pauses and silence to your advantage.  

4. Focus on your material, not your audience. 

As human beings, we are wired to seek the approval of others. We want to be liked and commended for what we do, what we say, and who we are. The same goes for us as pastors when we speak. We want people to like what we say and to be encouraged by our message. But fear and insecurity start to creep in when we worry too much about our audience rather than focusing on the word God has given us to share. It’s not your job to make people like you or to make sure they like your message. Only God can change their hearts and open their ears to what they need to hear. Your only job is to be obedient as the messenger. So don’t let your audience’s approval determine whether or not you feel like a success as a speaker. Instead, strive to do your best as for the Lord and not for man. (Colossians 3:23)