According to Psychology Today, “Surveys about our fears commonly show fear of public speaking at the top of the list. Our fear of standing up in front of a group and talking is so great that we fear it more than death, in surveys at least…When faced with standing up in front of a group, we break into a sweat because we are afraid of rejection. Moreover, at a primal level, the fear is so great because we are not merely afraid of being embarrassed or judged. We are afraid of being rejected from the social group, ostracized, and left to defend ourselves all on our own. We fear ostracism still so much today it seems, fearing it more than death because not so long ago getting kicked out of the group probably really was a death sentence.”
Understanding how social anxiety might express, several options exist to overcome resp deal with the fear of public speaking. The critical element is to help to gain control over such kind of situations. Master specific techniques of public speaking help to achieve control over the speaking situation. Techniques like using metaphors and storytelling, applying gestures in a specific way, pausing, connecting with the audience, and perceiving the subtle difference between “laughing with somebody” vs. “laughing about somebody.” These techniques are not rocket science and can be learned and internalized.
You might be surprised to read that people who prepare themselves for giving a 15 min TED Talk speech usually invest sixty to eight hours of work to get this speech adequately prepared and delivered? Well, it is like that. One aspect of this intense preparation is to achieve a certain level of control.
A practical way to overcome public speaking fears is to exercise and practice public speaking in a small group while the video is recording the progress. You wouldn’t disagree, you are the most reliable judge if it comes to judge your performance, right? The purpose of the recording is to demonstrate to yourself how you improved your performance step by step. This is the best reward, and it creates self-confidence and the perception that public speaking is not about being rejected or not but to deliver and share your views and experience with an audience in a professional yet personal style with confidence and ease.
Imagine, how many options do you have that more than two or three people want to listen to what you have to say? Isn’t it worth to adequately prepare each of these opportunities thoughtfully? Isn’t it very likely that somebody who joins your speech is doing so because it is his own decision?
