Public speaking is one of the most common fears with studies estimating that about 75% of people experience some level of anxiety from this task.
The psychological term for this fear is glossophobia. People are naturally social beings and strive to be in groups, when they are singled out, it often fuels the anxiety-filled thought of “all eyes on me.”
The feeling of standing in front of an audience with everyone watching and maybe even critiquing can be a frightening experience for some. The fear of public speaking is not just about saying the wrong thing or messing up but also about being judged or possibly rejected by other groups.
“I hate doing presentations, they just make me nervous and then I fear I will mess up or sound weird because of my shaky voice,” Lauren Peterson said.
Psychologically this fear is a form of social anxiety. Standing before an audience can often make people feel exposed or deeply watched.
Speaking publicly can result in physical effects like increased heart rate or trembling. When a person starts to get nervous the body releases adrenaline which causes the heart to race and the mouth to dry. Other effects like shaking and sweating can also happen and are more noticeable to others as common signs of anxiety.
“I just read over my notes and go in thinking about the problem,” Teagan Patrick said.
Some character traits like perfectionism or situations in the past can also influence one’s feelings when presenting. Wanting to get a good grade or get people on your side can induce more anxiety.
Also, not being experienced or confident with the topic that is being spoken about can raise high pressure and cause the presentation to be more stressful in fear of getting something wrong or messing up.
The fear of public speaking can really affect people’s professionalism. The ability to communicate and talk to a large group or audience is one that every person must learn and use, but some do not know how to handle it in a professional setting.
“I walk in like I own the place and just know that they might not know all the facts,” Patrick said.
While the fear is common and may feel overbearing, everyone can improve their public speaking skills and find a way that works for them. Even small things like preparation and practice, breathing techniques, and focusing on the message instead of oneself can help improve these skills.
Practicing small steps to help reduce anxiety can make it easier on someone to work on these skills and become a better speaker. While it may not completely “cure” the fear it will help in tremendous ways and maybe even make people more confident in the end.
“I think speech class really helped me because you had to present and I learned different ways to calm down and focus on the work,” Peterson said.
I used to be really bad at presenting and would absolutely hate to go up and talk in front of people. I never minded the presentations or the context, I just did not like the feeling of everyone paying attention to me. Seeing everyone’s eyes watching me and being put on the spot would really mess with my headspace and make it to where I would only focus on if I messed up or something.
I am definitely not amazing at presenting now but I can say that it has gotten better. I learned to focus more on the topics and the actual presentation rather than the audience or myself.
I also learned to just breathe and not worry too much about if I messed up or my voice squeaked.
I think another thing that helped me was the Model UN conventions. When I was in Model UN we would have to talk in front of a bunch of schools and tons of people. While it was nerve-racking it is what taught me to pay attention to detail and facts rather than everyone else.
I still get really nervous before presenting or public speaking but it definitely has gotten better and it is something anyone can overcome.
