Public Speech
Why Are So Many People Afraid of Public Speaking?
Public speaking is said to be the biggest fear held by people. For some, the mere hint that they may be asked to stand up in front of other people and talk is enough to bring out the cold sweats and maybe even start them shaking and quivering with fear. So why is the phobia of public speaking such a big issue for most of us?
1. Fear of making a fool of ourselves
If we’re standing up on stage or even just in front of a room, most of us will run a number of scenarios where we out and out embarrass ourselves. Whilst it’s unlikely that we’ll do a Janet Jackson and expose a nipple in front of millions on television, that scenario has been repeated often enough that it still runs through our minds
2. Am I Worthy?
The insecurity that even the brashest and most confident people have manifests itself when they are asked to stand up and speak. Again, in our minds, we run through all sorts of reasons why Joe or Mary or whoever should be the one doing the Presentation, not us. We think of all the points where we’re not perfect and then magnify them as though they’re filling an IMAX screen (and then some) so that everyone in the audience will spot our smallest blemishes and errors.
3. Technology
Couple a public speech with technology in the form of a slide show or, more likely, a PowerPoint presentation and our fear levels skyrocket. What if the computer stops working? What if one of the photos that pops up is inappropriate? What if our carfeully rehearsed presentation gets itself out of order and we look like the village idiot rather than a computer whiz? As with most fears, this is probably more real than imagined but that doesn’t stop us from running through all the what-if scenarios with technology running riot rather than helping us make our point.
4. What if we got it wrong?
Unless the error is really glaring, there’s a good chance that most or all our audience will ignore it. If we’re wildly out then that may be pointed out to us, in which case you just need to ad lib a plausible reason – a typo in the report for instance or a reading glitch – and you’ll almost certainly be forgiven. Except in your mental rehearsal, in which case the audience will take to the streets like rioters and start throwing molotov cocktails at you. We’re always better at seeing the downside than we are at visualizing the standing ovation that, deep down, we hope we’ll get even for the dullest presentation.
5. People will remember my mistakes forever
This one is highly unlikely. Even if you’re being filmed. The chance of any errors that you make being remembered once people leave the room is minimal. The chance of these mistakes being remembered in even a week’s time is close to zero. Most of your audience won’t even notice your mistakes – after all, they haven’t got a copy of your script in front of them – and even if they do, they probably won’t care. So get over your fear of public speaking and start enjoying yourself a bit more!
About the Author
If you’re afraid of public speaking you can click here for help.
Jello Biafra (public speech) – LIVE
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