At different times in our lives, we are all, in one way or another, faced with the need to speak in front of an audience - from reciting poems at a matinee in kindergarten or answering questions at a school blackboard, to presenting an innovative business project to potential partners and investors. What can we say about top managers, sales representatives, lawyers, artists, television journalists and representatives of other professions for whom public speaking is part of their regular duties.
However, in such moments, it can be difficult to gather your thoughts and demonstrate complete confidence in front of the public. The reason for this is fear - an evil wizard capable of overnight turning the speaker’s triumphant appearance on the “stage” into an absolutely pitiful spectacle.
Today we will talk in detail about this common destructive phenomenon. Let's consider the key features of the fear of public speaking and find ways to overcome it together with the intelligent psychologist Evgenia Shramchenko . In this case, intelligent is not only because he is experienced and qualified, but also because he can explain to his clients in simple and accessible language the algorithm for solving any problems.
From the personal archive of Evgenia Shramchenko /
Where does a phobia come from?
“My work involves frequent public speaking,” Evgenia Shramchenko begins her story. — I interact with people of different ages and professions, give lectures to young girls and serious men in formal suits. And, most importantly, I have practically no anxiety for a long time. However, this was not always the case..."
Fear of speaking in public, which, by the way, is correctly called glossophobia, is present to one degree or another in 95% of people. You may not believe it, but even famous speakers and media personalities know first-hand what it’s like to have wet palms, a dry throat, and shaky knees. The main reason for this fear is the feeling of the unknown. We are afraid of everything we cannot control. This is why many people are afraid, for example, of flying an airplane - because you cannot control the movement of the aircraft and you can only hope for the best.
There are a number of other common reasons that provoke fear of public speaking:
- unsuccessful performance experience in the past, childhood psychological trauma;
- low self-esteem;
- stress, depression at the current moment;
- lack of experience and knowledge on the topic of the speech.
Reasons for development
Various factors can provoke the development of glossophobia.
The tendency to fear in many people is observed at the genetic level. A person always tries to conform to social norms. He is afraid of being isolated from society, as well as being unpleasant and incomprehensible to him. Emotional perception, anxiety levels and temperament can be inherited. Glossophobia can also appear due to the fact that a person constantly strives for self-improvement. This type of disorder often appears in perfectionists and people who value public opinion.
Pathology can arise due to an insufficient level of self-confidence, low self-esteem, lack of knowledge or poor preparation for a performance. Beginning actors, lecturers and other people who are forced to be in front of an audience develop a phobia due to little experience speaking in front of an audience.
A phobia can also appear for the reason that an individual negatively evaluates personal capabilities and abilities. The development of this pathology is also influenced by negative childhood experiences, when the patient at an early age was subjected to harsh criticism from parents, teachers or friends.
Types of fear of public speaking
The effectiveness of the method of overcoming a phobia directly depends on the correct definition of its varieties. Thus, the feeling of fear of listeners and audiences is called peiraphobia. Excitement and anxiety before oral speech is the so-called veirophobia. There is another popular type of fear of public speaking - lalophobia. This is the fear that during a speech the speaker will have problems with diction, stuttering, etc. This type of phobia is typical even for professional speakers and presenters.
pexels.com/
“Of course, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the fear of public speaking has psychological roots, that is, it is associated with one of the reasons mentioned above,” says Evgenia Shramchenko. “However, there are cases when it occurs, for example, as a result of traumatic brain injuries or as a manifestation of neurotic diseases. In this case, the problem can only be solved with the help of a qualified doctor.”
How to overcome fear of speaking: expert advice
Glossophobia, if it really becomes serious and causes inconvenience, is best dealt with with the help of a professional psychologist. After all, such a problem often interferes with career advancement and makes the life of a person who has to speak in public simply unbearable.
If public speaking is a rare occurrence, then you can try to cope with the problem yourself. Here are some universal tips that really work:
- Remember positive experiences often. Surely you have already had performances that, if they did not create a sensation, were received as positively as possible by the public. Even school reports will do. If you are going to give a public speech for the first time, it is useful to come up with and view in your imagination in every detail a film in which you are the main character - a successful speaker giving a brilliant speech. The audience is sincerely delighted, fascinated and gives you thunderous applause.
- Dedicate a lot of time to preparing for your upcoming public appearance. You must have a clear plan for your speech, thought out to the smallest detail. Attention should also be paid to the technical part: the operation of the microphone, auxiliary materials (posters, cards, flipchart, etc.). It's great if you are a real expert regarding the topic of the speech. In this case, no question from the audience will be able to take you by surprise. But in any case, it is best to think in advance about a universal answer to the questions in which you are “swimming”.
- Make sure you are well rested before your performance. Try relaxation practices and simple meditations. But cramming the night before “day X” does not work - the effect will be the opposite of what was expected.
pexels.com/
Symptoms of the disorder
The causes of a phobia can be various factors. But the symptoms are always almost the same. Seeing his audience before the start of the speech, a person begins to become emotionally tense. Additionally, he may experience the following symptoms:
- In some situations, with nervous overstrain, a person may faint. But before that, he begins to worry about dizziness, weakness and nausea. The skin may become pale and sweaty.
- With panic fear of the public, the patient experiences involuntary urination, loss of the ability to speak clearly, trembling voice, and dry mouth.
- The autonomic system provokes discomfort in the chest, headaches, pressure surges, rapid heartbeat and increased sweating.
- The activity of the endocrine glands, cerebral cortex and sympathetic system increases. This leads to disruption in the functioning of internal organs, muscle tension, changes in speech speed, voice timbre, gestures and facial expressions.
Some techniques and ways to overcome the fear of public speaking
In addition to universal expert advice, Evgenia Shramchenko offers FAN readers several effective techniques for dealing with the fear of speaking.
Technique “Creating a situation of failure”
You need to imagine the outcome of a situation where you had a bad performance. The microphone stopped working, the audience yawned and gradually dispersed, the speech rehearsed the day before flew out of their heads... And what will be the outcome of the event? Will something terrible happen? Absolutely not. Most likely, next time you will simply try to prepare better, check the equipment, or make the performance more emotional and interesting. Accepting this outcome and “playing it out” in your head in detail will show you that there is nothing to be afraid of.
“Loyal audience” technique
A common cause of fear is the fear that the audience will not accept the speech, will be critical, or will not listen to you at all. Therefore, before the performance, imagine that the audience is your loyal fans who do not miss a single one of your performances. Or a hall full of small children who are waiting for you in anticipation. You'll see - the fear will disappear as if by hand.
Even Breathing Technique
A method that is effective in any stressful situation is “tuning” your breathing. When fearful, the body speeds up its breathing, as if preparing to run. Our goal is to make it slow and steady. Try to make your exhalation twice as long as your inhalation. It is enough to control your breathing for two to three minutes and the fear will begin to recede.
How to make anxiety work for you
You've probably read or heard the recommendation: "Be honest with your audience and state that you care."
I disagree - this may be misunderstood by your listeners. If it’s really hard, you can say that it’s “exciting for you to speak in front of this audience today” or “to be part of such a project.” Such phrases have a more positive connotation.
However, even in a state of serious stress, you can use the help of the gym. What does it mean?
Involve people in your speech. Of course, we are not talking about initially formal reports and reports, because there is little creativity here. It's about the performance, about communicating with the audience. Ask questions. If the format of the event does not involve answers, then this may be a call to action. For example: “think”, “remember”, “imagine”, “how was it like for you the first time”... This is also a kind of dialogue with the audience. Asking for a show of hands or something else is a great move.
Even though we are adults, we all love to play. When you evoke emotions, you are remembered as the right speaker.
Can the fear of public speaking go away on its own?
Sometimes, with age (or rather, with experience), the fear of performing can actually disappear on its own. There is no magic in this - it’s just that with each new performance you become more confident in yourself and your oratory skills improve. In addition, the topic with which you have to speak becomes more and more understandable, studied and “native”.
Finally, Evgenia Shramchenko shared another effective piece of advice - enroll in public speaking or acting courses. This is where you can practice your speaking skills, identify your main mistakes and work on them.
“Acting improvisation works especially effectively: after just a month of attending such courses, you will see the result: you will be able to feel equally comfortable sitting in a cozy chair in the hall and standing on stage. Yes, it's real. I wish you all good luck, fabulous performances and a loyal audience!”
How to overcome your fear of people: five steps to success
To get rid of the fear of speaking, we have to overcome five steps.
Step 1: Eliminate the unknown from the equation
Before the upcoming communication with people, we need to conduct a kind of research: study the characteristics of the audience. We will try to find out about the number of people, their age category, status, worldview, and priorities. We need to understand exactly what the audience expects from our appearance on stage, what likely reactions will follow towards us.
Our awareness will allow us to predict the course and outcome of the upcoming performance.
Step 2. Reining in the “monster”
Our anxieties increase due to the fact that we mentally reward society with negative characteristics and focus our attention on fictitious vices. We draw in our minds terrible pictures of sidelong glances, cynical grins, skeptical shakes of the head, angry whispers, angry gestures.
We should change our perception of society by adorning each person in the crowd with positive attributes. We imagine how people smile and applaud at us, how their eyes glow with delight and amazement.
A great option to get rid of unnecessary anxiety: visualize the event in a major key.
Step 3. Preventing fiasco
An excellent remedy for the fear of failure is our proper preparation for the event. For example: there will be a report at a seminar in the near future. What should we do to make our presentation successful in public? We can:
- Find, analyze, study initial postulates from various sources.
- Compose the original text of the abstract.
- Determine the main points.
- Create compelling, but not boring, arguments.
- Choose interesting facts for the story.
- Read or retell the text in front of the mirror.
- Record the report on a voice recorder and listen to your speech.
- Anticipate likely questions and select the best answers.
- Practice your gestures and facial expressions.
- Decide on the appropriate clothing style.
If we have sufficient information and solid knowledge, then we can act confidently.
Step 4. Recognize people’s right to make mistakes
In order to minimize the damage to our psyche in the event of a presentation failure, we must understand: any, even the most educated and talented person can make a mistake and make a mistake. We are no exception. Also our audience: the public does not always manage to correctly understand and correctly evaluate the postulates addressed to them.
Therefore, we reduce the importance of the event and admit: within the framework of the Universe, our appearance in public is a grain of sand on the ocean coast.
And even if this fashion show is a failure, another one will follow - a more successful one.
Step 5. Pay attention to the present
Our event will be much more productive if we focus on current actions rather than constantly thinking about future results.
We have fun, enjoy and savor every moment of preparation for an important event.
