Public Speaking: Why It Can Be Terrifying

Glossophobia is the technical name for having a fear of public speaking. This fear can crop up when you need to give a speech or a verbal presentation. Or it could jump into action when you’re performing.

While many state that people’s biggest fear is public speaking, that isn’t entirely accurate. Many other things top the list of things people fear. However, a fear of public speaking can send some into a panic and around 25% of people have experienced it at some point.

The Problem with Fear of Public Speaking

Some individuals have a serious form of glossophobia but even those who have a mild case can experience frustrating and anxiety-inducing results. When you’re scared of public speaking, you might not share solutions to problems affecting others, speak about your work, or share your ideas.

All these things can affect your professional and personal life and determine the impact you have on others. However, bad experiences often make people less likely to speak publicly in the future because of the perceived risk.

Reasons People Fear Public Speaking

The idea that you might give a bad speech isn’t related to fear of public speaking so much as how you feel, act, and think when faced with the need to speak in front of others. There are several reasons that people become scared when required to speak in public. We’ll explore each of them below.

Physiology

When the body feels threat, the nervous system kicks into high gear. Anxiety and fear can both provoke this response. Human bodies prepare for a fight when it feels as if a threat is present. This leads to a quick movement to fear and can make it challenging to speak in front of people. This may lead some to avoid situations where public speaking may be required.

Situations

Some people often feel anxious while others are okay with public speaking in most cases. However, the situation will factor into how stressed-out people feel in terms of specific public speaking situations. Everything from a lack of experience to the feeling an audience is evaluating your performance can create extra fear.

Skills

The degree of skill you have in public speaking is also important to consider. Those who think they’re good speakers may choose to practice and work on those skills. No matter what approach they take, it increases competence and skill around speaking in public.

Thoughts

The ideas you hold about public speaking and yourself as a speaker can impact your fear of standing in front of people with a presentation. Overestimating the stakes of a speech can create substantial fear in this situation. Working to avoid negative views of yourself can help limit anxiety and get you through a public speaking event.

Final Thoughts

The benefits of sharing things outweigh the feeling that we need to protect ourselves by avoiding public speaking. Now that you understand the issue of fearing public speaking, you might be wondering how you should move forward. Being organized, practicing, and deep breathing are just a few of the options available.