Fear Of Public Speaking
Fear of Public Speaking is a concern shared by many people
In fact, the Book of Lists shows the fear of public speaking as the No. 1 fear of people in the US.
It's ahead of fear of creepy things, like spiders, (that's No. 3) and it even rates well ahead of the fear of dying. (The fear of dying comes in at a lowly 7th place on the list!)
Fear of speaking can have a negative impact in your professional life as avoidance - or speaking when experiencing fear and anxiety - can affect the credibility and professionalism of the person speaking.
But why is this such a significant fear? It's quite simple really and once we understand why, we can begin to overcome our fear.
For some people, (fortunately these are in the minority) the fear is so significant and has such an effect on their lives that it generates a physical reaction. This falls into the category of being a phobia and is called Laliophobia. Now, one of the reasons people have a fear of speaking in public is the fear of ridicule. And that, at its most severe - when it's a phobia - is called Katagelophobia. Phobias need special attention - and yes, even the most severe phobia can be addressed and overcome.
But let's deal with the reason most people are uncomfortable when they have to speak in front of a group. It gets down to the fact that they perceive that the people in the group - whatever the size of the group, be it 4 or 40 or even 400 - will be judging them, that the people in the group will be critical of them - and this will impact on our feelings of ourself, our self-image and self-worth.
We all have this thing called self-esteem - how we feel about ourselves - and our self-esteem is very important. Many people have low self-esteem and any situation which further erodes what may be negative feelings about themselves, and one which takes them out of their comfort zone, is one they will avoid. So they have a feeling that they couldn't speak in front of a group and the negative self-talk might go something like this:
"What will people think about me?", "What if I don't do it well? What if I stumble over the words?" or, worse still, "What if my mind goes blank? What will people think of me?" "Oh, no - I couldn't speak in public".
And so the cycle continues; If you believe you have a fear of speaking in public, then that feeling will continue and you'll avoid doing it at all costs - and when the situation arises that you have to - at your daughter's wedding or when you have to make a presentation at work, because you're the expert on that subject - then you won't do as well and you most likely will stumble over the words - and your mind may even go blank.
"See, I told you I couldn't speak in public - that was awful, I felt terrible, I never want to do that again!"
The fear of speaking in public need not be so debilitating. It need not be something to avoid. There are some simple strategies to help you.
The first thing you need to do is believe in yourself. You have the knowledge, the wisdom and people really will want to hear what you have to say.
The second most important thing is preparation. The more you prepare, the more confident you will be.
As a professional speaker and a qualified and practicing clinical hypnotherapist, I have prepared a unique audio CD to help people overcome the Number 1 Fear, the fear of speaking in public.
Even if you already speak in front of a group and want to improve what you do and if you want to ease the nerves, this
Audio CD will help you.
Maybe you know someone who has to speak in front of a group - and they have a fear of public speaking. Why not do them a favour and order this special CD for them?
Click here for more details
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