Fear of Public Speaking

According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. ~ Jerry Seinfeld

Statistics prove what Jerry Seinfeld has said is correct. Death is, indeed, not the number one fear of people. Fear of public speaking beats all other fears. When I dug dip into the statistics, I too was dumbfounded with this information. But then I remembered the time of every elocution competition I participated in, in my schooldays. Rather than worrying about the subject or content on which I was going to speak, all I was worried and anxious about was the fear of whether I will be able to deliver in front of scores of people. Once on stage, the rush to get off it preoccupied my mind more than the speech in hand. Sweating, shivering, complete black-out or just standing there staring nowhere, were common occurrences. And I bet this must be the situation for most people going on stage to speak to an audience. Actually, nervousness and public speaking go hand in hand. Statistics state that 3 persons out of 4 suffer from glossophobia (scientific term for the phobia of public speaking). So, for the time being, console yourself with the knowledge that you are not alone.

The one thing all people who are fearful of public speaking should do is observe the great orators while they are in the midst of a heart-warming speech. Have you ever observed the current American President Barack Obama in detail while he speaks? What's the primary reason for him captivating a listener? His words, clarity of thoughts or the subject are secondary, when you see the conviction with which he presents his thoughts. Optimism, confidence and public speaking are interrelated entities. You have to be positive and confident when you are about to speak in public. Also, you should be convinced about your thoughts. Fear stems from lack of confidence and optimism. And even if you ask Obama in person, he will certainly say that every time he is about to speak in public, deep down somewhere there is a bit of nervousness and anxiety.

I think we took a very big example to start with. This fear can surface even in a small group of 4 to 5 people. Especially, if you are not familiar with that bunch of individuals, then the fear doesn't even allow you to make your presence felt, let alone asserting your viewpoint. Why does this happen? Let's have a look at the multiple causes for public speaking anxiety.

Causes of Glossophobia

• Lack of interaction right through one's childhood with family or friends.
• Lack of confidence and conviction in what one wants to say.
• Fear that people may laugh (owing to some prior experience).
• Being more self-conscious than required about one's looks, body postures, etc.
• Random thoughts leading to ill-preparation of the speech.
• Insufficient knowledge of the language in which one intends to speak publicly.
• Some inferiority complex or low self-esteem developed over the years.
• Any speech disorder like stammering or phonemic or articulation disorder.

Overcoming Glossophobia

Jesse Jackson has said If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it. This quote is applicable for every aspect of life. You just have to believe in yourself and the task at hand to get it done fruitfully. This can be applied to the fear of public speaking as well. Let's look at the ways to overcome the fear and anxiety of public speaking.

Face the Fear
The easiest yet the tricky solution to overcome any fear is to face it. Let me tell you, once you face your fear, you will come to know that the thing which you were fearing was actually never as monstrous as you made it out to be. It's similar to overcoming the fear of jumping from a small height for the first time. Till you attempt to do it, you will always find it difficult. But once done, you will feel like Eleanor Roosevelt felt, when she wrote in her book 'You Learn By Living', You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself - I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.

Build Self-confidence
Marcus Garvey has quoted, If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started. Keep this quote in mind every time you face a confidence-crisis. Ask yourself one question - do you wish to stay defeated in life? With no self-confidence, you cannot even win over a petty situation. Yes! Inability to face the public is not just a 'petty' situation but even pitiful according to me. Only the person who can conquer these situations can come up triumphant in the end. Remember, it's all in the mind!

Learn to Ignore
There's a quote from Mark Twain which says, All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Why the need of ignorance? It's simple, because if you keep thinking of the people in front, what will they think of you, will they laugh at you, will they appreciate what you are saying, etc., then you will get bogged down by that pressure and eventually fail to express yourself freely. Learning to ignore what people will think, looking at them and maintaining the eye-contact, can go a long way in overcoming your fear.

Have Belief and Conviction
Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, The eloquent man is he who is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief. As I noted in the example of Obama, if you are convinced about what you are going to speak, the words will just flow. As it happens when you have a simple conversation with your friend about your favorite football team, do you need to prepare before you speak? No, the words are straight from your heart. You back your words with concrete theories and examples. There's nothing different in what you should do while speaking in public. Stay with your words, if you are convinced with them. Eloquence is, nothing but merely a product of conviction and belief in your own thoughts.

Sweat the Small Stuff
First up, choose your public speaking topic wisely, selecting only those on which you feel comfortable to express your thoughts. Then, as the age-old proverb goes, practice makes man perfect, do practice your speech at least two to three times in front of some friend or even the mirror. Iron out those areas where you stumbled at the start. Try to introduce humor in some parts of your speech to keep the audience alive. If you can think of something interesting anecdote to add given the response, go ahead with it spontaneously. Try to be interactive. Ask questions to people, understand their opinions on your speech and respond to their questions or criticisms. I assure you, this will not just have a positive effect but you will feel at home on stage. Lastly, even if the speech doesn't go as planned, don't let it bother you, simply because it happens with the greatest of orators as well.

Glossophobia is, thus, nothing but a state of mind. The German proverb puts it right - Fear makes the wolf bigger than it is. Don't make a trivial thing like public speaking shake you in your boots. How you conquer your fear depends on the courage you show. As Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. has said, Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it. Now, it's up to you to make a choice between courage and cowardice! What will you go for?