Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety, often referred to as speech anxiety or stage fright, involves a central fear of being scrutinized or evaluated by others. This fear is often accompanied by a variety of physical and emotional reactions that can significantly interfere with a person's ability to successfully give a speech or presentation, including intense feelings of anxiety, worry, nervousness, trembling or shaking, sweating, and/or dizziness. Many people consider public speaking among their worst fears in life. Even as one may be called upon to speak in a social gathering they shy off that opportunity, withdraw or avoid the challenge. Students, for example, may struggle through, or seek to avoid altogether, a required public speaking course; job candidates consumed with anxiety may sell themselves short or project an inferior image of themselves during an interview in front of potential employers; individuals may choose a job or career of limited potential; business professionals or workers may be passed up for, or even refuse outright, a promotion because of their fears surrounding speaking in front of others. Choosing to avoid public speaking will feed the anxiety.

Anxiety is a multi-system response to a perceived threat or danger that reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the [persons] personal history and memory, and the social [or communication] situation (Frey, 1999). As you feed it, the fear and stress will continue to grow making it more difficult to overcome. Some people tremble or shake and sweat profusely---their hands especially begin to feel moist. Other people notice that their heart rate begins to quicken and their mouths become parched.

• Shuffling from foot to foot
• Not knowing what to do with one's hands
• Stuttering and stumbling over words
• Speaking too fast
• Not looking at the audience while speaking
• Referring to written notes too many times
• Clearing one's throat repeatedly

Most people find that their mind begins to “race”, their thoughts become jumbled, and they have great difficulty putting their thoughts into any coherent order. By correctly understanding the hidden causes of public speaking stress, and if you keeping just a few key principles in mind, speaking in public will become a satisfying experience.

• Thinking that public speaking is inherently stressful.
• Thinking you need to be brilliant or perfect to succeed.
• Trying to impart too much information or cover too many points in a short presentation.
• Having the wrong purpose in mind.
• Trying to please everyone.
• Trying to emulate other speakers rather than simply being yourself.
• Failing to be personally revealing and humble.
• Fear of potential negative outcomes and of making mistakes.
• Trying to control the wrong things.
• Spending too much time overpreparing.
• Thinking your audience will be as critical of your performance as you might be.
• Fear of being judged
• Fear of not being liked
• Fear of being boring and not having anything worthwhile to say
• Fear of being exposed as an imposter - as someone who isn't really an expert
• Fear of losing one's place during the talk
• Discomfort with being the center of attention

It is important to bear in mind these 3 pointers:

• Pointer 1: People want you to succeed
• Pointer 2: People want to learn from you
• Pointer 3: You can't always tell what your audience is thinking.