Fear of public speaking

tips for public speaking

Lluís Pastor, professor of Information and Communication Sciences at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), explains precisely that the distance that separates the speaker from the rest of the people is also a determining factor for fear.

“What you say is important, but also how you say it, the non-verbal language; and, on the other hand, you have to try to use assertive language: you can’t seduce if what you say is negative to the other person; you have to put yourself in the other person’s place so that he or she makes your objective your own,” she explains.

In addition, as in most things in life, attitude is everything and, in this sense, Dalmases believes that “showing confidence gives us self-confidence, because sometimes we have beliefs about ourselves that are not true; and showing enthusiasm makes us generate interest, just as showing a listening attitude towards the other is a quid pro quo” that makes everything flow much better.

It also helps, in interpersonal conversations, “not to take anything personally, to be impeccable with words and not to make assumptions, which would be the opposite of think wrong and you will be right,” says Dalmases.

how to overcome fear of public speaking

Phobia is the exaggeration of a normal and common emotion that is fear.  But while fear is adaptive because it helps to prevent and alert us about a threat or danger, phobia becomes a state that can block the person’s life.

It is difficult to establish the causes of the onset of a phobia, however, there may be a predisposition to a low tolerance to stress and frustration or a traumatic experience that puts the person in this anxious state.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-V, explains what are the criteria for the diagnosis of Anxiety Disorder or social phobia, where glossophobia would be included. Source: American Psychiatric Association.

Mindfulness helps us to feel that fear can be accepted. It does not eliminate it. When we are in touch with our body and are aware of our emotions and sensations, it is easier to calm the mind. At that moment it is possible to face fears. As Christophe André says: “You don’t meditate not to be afraid, but not to be afraid of fear”.

glossophobia

Recall that social anxiety disorder or social phobia occurs when there is intense anxiety about being exposed to social situations in which there is the possibility of being judged by other people. These situations can be: eating, drinking, talking, meeting with others, etc.

It is important to keep in mind that there are different factors, both internal and external, that modulate fear and contribute in one way or another to the onset and maintenance of fear. The most common factors are the following:

Related to the above, the greater the demands made on ourselves, the greater the likelihood of glossophobia. Believing that we must be successful and that if we are not, things will be horrible is the origin of it.

Now, in order to overcome the fear or that it does not turn into social phobia, it is advisable to follow a series of strategies to be able to manage it. Here are some of the most important ones:

fear of speaking in public as it is called

Plan in advance what you will say at the next meeting, whether it is work, with friends or family, and introduce on each occasion a variation in the speech. You can try it standing up, sitting down, playing with voices or talking about different topics. It is necessary to vary because if we always do the same thing we will not get the same results.

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