Overcoming the Fear of
Public Speaking
2006 © Andree’s Attic
Created by: Andree Swanson
Fear of Public Speaking - Statistics
• “20 - 85% of people
experience more or
less anxiety when they
need to speak in
public”
(Public Speaking Anxiety, Para 1)
The Book of Lists
states…
• “Speaking before a group” is the
number one fear when 3000
Americans were asked “What
are you the most afraid of?”
(Grice and Skinner, p. 38)
Communication
apprehension defined
• “the perceived fear or anxiety
associated with either real or
anticipated communication with
another person or persons”
(Grice and Skinner, p. 38)
Jerry Seinfeld states…
• “Surveys show that the #1 fear of
Americans is public speaking. #2 is
death. Death is #2. That means that at a
funeral, the average American would
rather be in the casket than doing the
eulogy.”
Picture courtesy of http://www.paramountcomedy.es/series/seinfeld/jerry.htm
Reasons for getting
nervous
• There are five main reasons why
one becomes nervous before a
speech:
– Unfamiliar situation
– Lack of confidence
– Sense of isolation
– Fear of looking foolish
– Fear of the consequences
Unfamiliar situation
• One enters into an environment
that is strange or foreign
• People who are not known to the
speaker
• Not having the right equipment
• Missing equipment
• Broken microphone
• Bad seating arrangement
Lack of confidence
• When you are…
– not fully assure of yourself or the topic
– self-consciousness
– not confident and something is
bothering you
– tense and have a frog in your throat
– unaware of your audience
Sense of isolation
• Most fears come
from the fact
that you will be
the center of
attention
Fear of looking foolish
• the fear of forgetting your
lines
• being worried that people will
find you non-competent
Fear of the consequences
• This is the fear of being judged
• Lacking in ability
• Lacking in insight or intelligence
What causes
nervousness?
• The cause of anxiety for everyone is
universal.
“Adrenaline is suddenly pumped into the bloodstream.
Respiration increases dramatically. So do heart rate and
‘galvanic skin response’—the amount of perspiration on the
surface of the skin. All these things occur so that oxygen
rich blood can be quickly channeled to the large muscle
groups.”
(Grice and Skinner, p. 38)
Steps to overcome
nervousness
There are 3 main steps to help lower your
sense of nervousness:
• Prepare Your Speech To Be Effective
• Know How To React To Your Stress
• Try Calming Practices
Preparing an effective
speech
• Being prepared for a speech should calm
your anxiousness and nervousness the
most.
• Follow the 3 P’s:
– Planning
– Preparation
– Practice
(Study Skills, Para 3)
Planning
• First brainstorm for a topic
– Make sure you know about the topic and make
sure it interests you
• Consider the purpose and the message you are
trying to convey
– Know your audience
– Know your time limits
•
Make sure you understand your purpose
Planning – know the
speech principles
• “What are the five function of an effective speech
introduction?
• “How should you construct the body of your speech, and how do
you develop each key area”
• “How can you use your voice and body to communicate your
ideas”
• “What strategies help you conclude your speech”
• “What strategies help you word ideas correctly, clearly, and
vividly”
(Grice and Skinner, pp. 44-45)
Five functions of an
effective speech
• Gain and maintain audience attention
• Arouse audience interest in your topic
• State the purpose of your speech
• Establish your qualifications for speaking on the
topic
• Preview the main ideas to be discussed in your
speech
Preparing
• Organize your speech
– Develop your speech content
• Organize your speech introduction,
body of your speech, and the conclusion
– Word your speech
• Make an outline with your key points
• Make key notes on note cards
– Bulleted list (no sentences!)
• NEVER write out your speech!
Spontaneity
• Speak extemporaneously
• Avoid reading your speech
“A little spontaneity
adds a tremendous
amount of character
to your talk”
(Universal Fears, Para 2)
• Practice
–
–
–
–
–
Practice
in front of a mirror
in the shower
in front of your family
in front of your friends
in front of your dog
• If you are brave, record yourself and
listen to your speech.
Visualize
• Visualize yourself giving a successful
speech
– “A study of 430 college speech students
revealed lowered speech anxiety among
those who visualized themselves
delivering an effective presentation”
(Grice and Skinner, p. 47)
Guidelines for building
confidence
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Know Speech Principles
Know Your Speech
Believe In Your Topic
View Speech Making Positively
Visualize Success
Project Confidence
Test Your Message
Practice
Learn From Experience
(Grice and Skinner 43)
Now what do you do?
• Know how you react to stress
– this knowledge lets you predict and cope with
these physical conditions
– because you are anticipating these physical
conditions, you will be better able to mask
them from the audience
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
(Grice and Skinner 43-44)
It always looks works
worse than it is
• Know that your vision of the situation looks
far worse than it really is
• Avoid apologizing for something you missed,
as your audience may not be aware that you
missed it
– “Realize 90% of nervousness doesn’t show”
(Universal Fear, Para 1).
Before the speech
• Show up early
– Get familiar with your area and know
what you have to work with (Universal
Fear, Para 1).
• “Concentrate on searching for current
and immediate things that are
happening at the event”
(Stage Fright
Strategies, Para 8).
• Look over your notes again
Speech time, feeling
nervous?
• What can you do?
– Try these relaxing tips:
– “Relax your body” (Study Skills, Para 2)
– “Relax your voice”
(Study Skills, Para 2)
– “Concentrate on your speaking ideas”
(Stage Fright Strategies,
Para 10).
– Breathe deeply, in and out, numerous times
And the speech begins
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look around for familiar and friendly faces
Drop your hands
Make eye contact
Smile
Practice breathing again
Listen to yourself speaking and if necessary
slow your speech
***Remember: The speech will be over before
you even realize it***
References
Grice, G. L., & Skinner, J. F. Mastering Public Speaking, 5th Edition. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 2004.
Katz, L. Public Speaking Anxiety. University of Tennessee at Martin Counseling
and Career Services. 29 July, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2005, from
http://www.utm.edu/~ccenter/counseling/publicspeakinganxiety.html
Public Speaking: Stage Fright Strategies. Advanced Public Speaking
Institute. Retrieved June 8, 2005, from http://www.public-speaking.org/publicspeaking-stagefright-article.htm
Study Skills. University of Bradford. Retrieved June 8, 2005, from
http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/civeng/skills/pubspeak.htm
Universal Fears. The Leaders Institute. Retrieved June 8, 2005, from
http://www.leadersinstitute.com/resource/publicspeakingtips2.html