It is well noted that aside to sales, the ability to address an audience is a highly sought after and well paid skill in any profession. Communication is key as they say, and if you can communicate well to the masses then you are in high demand. It is also well noted that Glossophobia; the fear of public speaking, is perhaps the most common and leading fear that people suffer from, affecting approximately 75% to one degree or another. Public speaking phobia has even been stated to be a higher fear than the fear of death itself. People have quoted that they would rather jump out of an aeroplane than stand in front of a crowd to give a speech.
Why are we so scared?
The subject of public speaking is akin to that of ‘Stage Fright’. It has been claimed that there is an inborn fear that we all have in relation to a group of people staring at us (think of many faces and many sets of eyes). While this is somewhat true, it does not explain why people also suffer from nervousness when performing in front of a camera as opposed to a live audience. It is more about the fear of not being good enough, and in cases where the speech giving is live – you only get the one chance.
Symptoms that are suffered include anxiety, shaking, blushing, stuttering, sweating, dry mouth, and a sudden need to rush to the toilet, or even to run away altogether.
The sad thing is that public speaking nerves can sabotage the speaker for days or even weeks ahead of the event, when they should really be focusing with a positive mindset. Instead they endure continuous self-talk like: How can I stand in front of all those people? What if I screw this up? What if something goes wrong? What if, what if, what if?
They are worried endlessly and this can increase to the point that when they are called to speak – they end up crippled and unable to display the true talent or expertise that they possess. Once this has been experienced, it creates a vicious circle, whereby the process is reinforced the next time around and self-confidence starts to diminish further. Moreover, the more one tries to bury the issue, the more it seems to return.
Unfortunately, many otherwise extremely talented people fail to reach their full potential in their roles all down to the fear of speaking in public. When an opportunity to shine or a career promotion appears, they simply recluse back in order to evade the need to engage in public speaking.
Famous Speakers
If it helps to know, be assured that there are a bunch of famous people that publicly admitted to battling performance anxiety when giving speeches. These include great leaders like: Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Winston Churchill.
Very often, people that suffer with a public speaking phobia think that it’s just ‘part of the job’ and do their best to live with it. Some keep walking through like wading through concrete or quick sand and hoping that as time goes on, things will get better. Maybe this is because they think that there is nothing much else they can do.
Help is Here:
The good news is that help is available and I have had good success in treating anxiety related to public speaking phobias. Fortunately my tool box of strategies stemming from a range of applications helps me to tackle the issue from a wide range of perspectives. Please be assured that these are not just a conventional approach of learning relaxation techniques and coping mechanisms. My applications are proven to hit the deeper level and help eliminate the suffering as opposed to just managing symptoms.
Furthermore, I can offer to add on strategies that will actually enhance your performance, meaning that not only are you free from the previous performance limiting issues, but you are now excelling your previous level and now achieving better results that you ever thought were possible!
If you would like to find out more, please connect with me.