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Fear of Public Speaking

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It’s often known as glossophobia although some have been content to call it ochlophobia. In the first case it is definitively the fear of public speaking while the later is the general fear of crowds. In both cases the anxiety is high.

Why Do I Feel This Way?

The causes of this condition tend to go back to an early belief system adopted by the individual. They may feel their thoughts are unimportant, they may have had an overbearing parent who did not allow them the opportunity to speak for themselves, they may have even been subjected to a traumatic or humiliating event involving speaking in front of others sometime in their past, or they may have simply allowed minor feelings of anxiety to grow into something much larger over time.

Am I The Only One?

Those who suffer from this condition will have pronounced anxiety speaking in any group setting let alone in front of them. Statistics suggest that 75% of all Americans suffer from ’stage fright’ to some degree.  Many of these millions will avoid attending any event if there is even the slightest hint that they might be singled out to say something or be the object of attention.  Nausea and panic are common conditions of those who suffer from glossophobia.

Overcoming The Fear of Public Speaking

The Virginia Journal of Education suggests the following tips for overcoming your fear of sharing your thoughts in a public setting.

  • Do your research.
  • Make sure you know your topic thoroughly.
  • Don’t try to wing it.
  • Fill out and use flashcards to help keep you on track with your topic.
  • Don’t become tied to those notes.
  • Rehearse in front of a mirror, family or friends.
  • Practice, practice, practice.

Groups like www.toastmasters.org can help provide opportunities to learn the skills and confidence needed to become an effective speaker.

Like most fears, public speaking is a phobia that can be addressed. Your fears may seem irrational to others, but extremely real and debilitating to you. It could be you are in a position that requires group presentations. Accept the help of others and insist that personal failure is not an option.

fail1The above picture may be a demonstration of how you feel, but with even small successes in public speaking you can move forward in meaningful communication in a group setting or even among friends.

Putting A Face To The Fear

If you suffer from this anxiety disorder you need to know you are not alone. Accept encouragement from famous American performers who had to overcome their fear of public speaking before they became the pop culture icons we know today. These include Donny Osmond, Barbara Streisand and Sir Lawrence Olivier.  Even people like Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Jim Carrey suffer from bouts of shyness and anxiety in a public setting.

Jim Carrey?

If people who live with this fear can learn to act, sing and perform standup comedy it is entirely probable that you can move forward one step at a time to make glossophobia something that no longer has control over your present and future.

Coping & Surviving

Do you suffer from glossophobia, yet still speak in public? What have you done to make that possible? How to you cope? What do you still struggle with the most?

The fear of speaking in public is also referred to as:

  • speaking phobia
  • public speaking phobias
  • phobia fear of public speaking
  • speaking in public phobia name
  • phobia of public speaking

Do you need to get professional help? Find a Therapist

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11 Comments »

  • Ashley said:

    I have to talk to numerous people at my job and I have always had a fear of speaking in public. I ended up taking a public speaking class to try and get over this fear. It was difficult at first, but I did make progress. I’m still not completely comfortable talking in front of others, but the class helped me greatly. It’s definitely not as bad as it used to be!

  • Desert Rat said:

    Public speaking is not anything to be feared, though it’s natural to feel some fear until you’ve done it. Be confident in yourself and your knowledge. As others have commented, it helps to know what you’re talking about – it’s much easier to have self-confidence when you are comfortable with your content. After that, just remember that the people in the audience are there to hear you, and to learn from you. Just give them what they came for and you’ll be fine.

  • sashangeljaz said:

    Some of this description fits me very well. I can speak in front of a small group (6-8 people) but talking to an auditorium full of people, no way. I do feel that what I have to say is unimportant because I have been told so by other people. Also, when I was a child, I was subject to an act of public humiliation in front of other children. So talking to a large group of people is something that, so far, is beyond me.

  • Beamer said:

    For much of my early career I had a fear of public speaking. Then I took a class that taught me some great tricks to overcome this. One of the best was to make a speech more of a one-on-one conversation. Make eye contact with a person in the crowd. Speak to that person. When they look away, break your speech and make contact with another and pick up again Works great and helps you add natural breaks in your speech.

  • Christine said:

    Having been in debate or drama since I was in junior high, I’ve never really experienced fear of speaking as long as it was in front of a crowd. However, even with all my years of public speaking, presenting to just one or two people turns my knees to jelly. I think because in a crowd, I can justify someone thinking poorly of my skills, because hopefully not all of them did. But if I’m presenting to just one person and that person hates me, well, that’s a 100% failure rate. I usually have to visualize other people in the room to help keep myself from shaking.

  • scott said:

    During school i always struggled with small crowds, because i would stutter. When i went into radio broadcasting i discovered that listening to myself speak helped. So now when i give a presentation I require a ear piece. It keeps me focused on me not on the crowd.

  • Amanda said:

    I used to be terrified to the point of being ill, of speaking in public. None of those old “tricks” that you are taught worked for me. This followed me all the way through school and college. After college, I started doing community theatre, and that has helped me overcome my fear almost completely. Now I feel just as comfortable addressing a group as do sitting around talking to my family.

  • Julie said:

    Speaking in public has always made me nervous. My University’s freshman speech class did nothing to help the situation, even though the topics I spoke about were researched and rehearsed extensively. After college I became the coach of a competitive high school cheerleading program. I was required to run parent meetings every month to discuss the team’s plans, competition schedules, budget and fund-raising ideas. This public speaking experience was largely unrehearsed. I had a meeting agenda and that was it. Running parent meetings helped my fear of public speaking more than anything else. Once I saw that I was capable of leading a room of 40+ parents and their kids, I felt that speaking on a rehearsed topic was no longer something to fear.

  • Shy Guy Dave said:

    Some of the things in this article really do describe me. Ever since I was very little I’ve been afraid of speaking publicly. Sometimes I’m even afraid of sharing my views with my friends and family. It’s as if my mind locks up on me and all I think is “these people are going to think I’m an idiot”. I’m currently in college and I try my hardest to avoid the teachers that require presentations, if I know I have to do it,I spend the whole time psyching myself out by the time I get up there I’m a complete mess, I start stuttering, I forget things, and I start shaking. This always happens to me no matter how much reasearch I do or how many times I practice. I’m going to try some of the solutions and keep working on it until I improve.

  • James P. said:

    To conquer my fear of public speak I continue to remind myself that nobody is smarter than me on the topic being presented. I often do presentations to the Board of Directors at my company and have to give updates on the financial system, budget or progress of a project. I AM THE EXPERT and these people want to learn from ME. Sure, they can ask questions that may throw me off but there is always the answer of “I will get back to you”. It is very important to “do your homework” and be as prepared as possible but in the end they are there to learn from you.

  • Jennifer said:

    I have heard that the fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias. While it has never interfered with my life, I have never been comfortable speaking in front of others. I am always afraid that I will sound stupid or bore people. When called out by a teacher in class I would always get a knot in my stomach even if I knew the answer because I never liked having that much attention focused on myself.

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