Fear of Public Speaking and How Can We Overcome It

Anxious businesswoman character before and after public speaking training, EPS 8 vector illustration

The phrase “Glossophobia” indicates the fear of speaking into the mass. But, being scared to make public speaking is not a disorder rather it is common human characteristics. We can be practice as well as overcome it.

Here are some reasons for fear of public speaking:

1. Insufficient Preparation

If we know little about the topic, it obvious that we can lose our confidence. The speaker has to fully prepare himself about how what points to be expressed during the speech. Being fully prepared encourages you and makes you feel confident.

2. Mass fear

A bigger size of people gives you bigger anxiety. When there are people of different fields who are scholars in their respective fields then you become self-conscious about how you are going to present yourself. The sources of such content might be trustable or not.

3. Less Interaction with People

Digital communication like phone, email, internet and more has surely made our work easier but it has also reduced the chances of meeting new people face to face. Standing and speaking in front of many people can make you feel a little awkward and nervous.

4. Fear of appearance

Speaker can assume himself to look nervous and scared. He might have illogic thoughts were being nervous will give the audience a hint that they might not be well prepared about the topics.

5. Comparing ourselves to others

Human tends to compare. This habit can ruin self-image. Comparing with others really demotivates the speaker. Everyone has their own way of expressing things but if we keep on comparing to others then the original expressions are messed up. 

Here are some of the approaches to how can we overcome it:

• Collect enough content for our presentation so that we can speak confidently. There are many sources like the internet, library, expert consultation and so on which can feed our topic.
• Use the mirror to see how we look while speaking, capture our own video, and analyze later to see what to correct or ask a friend to become a dummy audience expecting some feedbacks.
• Imagine possible questions that the audience may ask and try to picture some answers in our mind. Creating a backup slide of some answers shall be of great help.
• Be well dressed, groom ourselves well so that we don’t have to worry about our outer appearances.
• Get organized about all the thoughts and materials. When we have clear and organized thoughts, we deliver speeches and presentations better.
• Avoid talking too fast while delivering a presentation. If we talk too fast we will breathless. Feeling brief of breath will make us panicked and extra inclined to fear.
• Slowing down while speaking will help us to become more calm and relaxed.
• Attending public speaking classes can cure me somehow. We can join to learn the art of public speaking.
• Focusing on patterns builds hope. We should keep our sentences short and to the point and repeat key points. A brief pause in between factors can add anticipation to what we are going to say next.

So, take a deep breath, hold your head high and present your presentation or speech in the best way you can ever do.