Public Speaking Anxiety
Public Speaking Anxiety
Many public speaking coaches are fond of saying that in Buddhism, “fear of public speaking” is one of the five Great Fears – right behind anxiety about losing your life or livelihood. Not being a Buddhist scholar, I have no idea if this is actually true but it serves the purpose of illustrating how much fear there is around public speaking.
Why is public speaking a source of severe anxiety for so many people?
When I ask my clients what it is they fear, most of them talk about the physical manifestations: shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, blushing and trembling. This particular fear is actually known as glossophobia from the Greek glossa meaning “tongue,” and phobos meaning “dread.”
But when we dig a little deeper – beyond what being anxious feels like and into what actually might be causing the fear - I usually get one or more of these answers:
I’m afraid that I won’t be good enough.
I’m afraid they’ll think I’m a fraud, that I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’m afraid I’ll forget what I was going to say.
I’m afraid someone will challenge me.
I’m afraid they’ll be bored and not pay attention (or worse, leave the room).
I’m afraid of looking nervous.
I’m afraid of not doing a good job and it will affect my funding/promotion/
performance review/etc.
What is the one word that dominates every one of these statements? That pesky little “I” – the ego. But what if public speaking isn’t about you at all?
Imagine you are hosting a party and a new neighbor arrives, someone who doesn’t know anyone else. What is the first thing you do? Greet them at the door and make them feel welcome. What next? Show them where the refreshments are. And then? Introduce them to people and make them feel comfortable.
And isn’t that our job as public speakers? To make the audience feel welcome and comfortable? We’re not supposed to be the comfortable ones; we are the hosts, the ones who share our energy with our guests so they’ll have a good time. Why do we forget that simple fact when it’s time to stand up in front of an audience?
The audience wants you to succeed; they want to be inspired or enlightened or encouraged. Planning your speech or presentation from that point of view changes everything. Forget what you think you want to say. What is it that your audience needs you to say? This, of course, takes a little more planning and preparation because you have to know who your audience is, why they’re in the room, and what they value.
And what about that hammering heart and those sweaty palms? In professional theatre we have a saying: If you don’t feel stage fright any more, it’s time to leave show business. Those butterflies in your stomach can be powerful allies in lots of different ways. Energy, passion, inspiration and enhanced perception are the “Gifts of Glossophobia.” But again, accessing the power of stage fright takes some preparation and practice.
When we remember that public speaking is exactly that – speaking to the public (outside of ourselves), we realize that it’s all about the audience and stop focusing on our own anxiety.
