When you sense them poking at your consciousness, distance yourself from them.

So, say the thought “What if stumble over my words and look like a miserable moron?” enters your mind. As soon as you sense this thought, it’s time to file for divorce. The thoughts aren’t you, so separate them from you. Treat them as if you were merely observing them.

For example: “Oh, that’s interesting. Negative thoughts are present.” Try putting some “funny” in these observations as well such as, “Incredible, my inner critic is trying to put me down to make himself feel better. What a silly fellow.”

Turning these menacing thoughts into mere observations gives you a unique control over them...and over the critic. This technique can work both before and after you do that which you fear. [For more info on this topic check out my book The Perfectionist's Guide To Public Speaking .]

The next way to clobber the critic is simple:

Encouragement is the opposite of criticism. The internal critic hates this.

Let’s use public speaking once again because it’s a critic’s wet dream.

First off, after every speaking opportunity, remind yourself what a good job you did getting up there and doing it! If you made a mistake such as forgetting an important point, jumbling your words, or whatever, let it go.

Don’t beat yourself up.

The mere fact that you got up there to do it is a strong step and you shouldn’t let it go unnoticed. Make it a point to find the good out of any speaking experience, no matter how minuscule.

Our judge will find something to latch onto (a mistake) and try to slap us in the face with it. Things such as, “I can’t believe I forgot to say that,” or “I’m so stupid for mispronouncing that word,” or “The audience hated it, they looked so bored,” or “Why can’t I just deliver my speech perfectly without making mistakes?” are hard to shake.

We must ignore that conniving bastard. Each time you sense a negative thought arise, cover it by telling yourself something good that you did during your speech. You always have the comfort of knowing you at least showed up, right? That’s not always the easiest thing to do, so it's always worth noting!

You should also listen to the people that support you. Don’t fight their words of encouragement. When a friend tells you “Good job,” accept it and be grateful. Encouragement is important to keep you going forward, especially for something as nerve-racking as public speaking.