How many of you experience fear when you speak?

How many of you dream of making an amazing public speech, and yet are frustrated and tired of the nervous butterflies & sweaty palms?

What kind of attack do we perceive while speaking? 

The fear of public speaking is termed as Gloss phobia. The word gloss phobia derives from the Greek word glossa, meaning tongue, and Phobos, fear or dread. 

We perceive being attacked by the audience for: -

• Being nervous

• Not being well informed

• Not being good enough

• Being judged to be a failure

• We fear being rejected

• We fear being labelled a failure

• We fear being judged 

  
  

We are in a mode of flight and fly. 

Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” Being a little nervous is normal. Even the best of speakers with a lot of experience get nervous before a talk. The idea is to realize that its okay if you make some mistakes. You don’t have to be 100% perfect. 

Contrary to the fight and flight syndrome your audience is not here to attack you. They want you to succeed. 

What are the physical symptoms of feeling nervous?

Did you know that what causes your palms to sweat and your heartbeat to increase before a speaking event is the release of hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol? This is the same hormone that is released when we experience physical danger. 

This implies that we perceive public speaking akin to a physically dangerous situation. In our head we think we are going to be attacked. 

Remember this fear is good. Accept it, embrace it, and then conquer it. You are not alone. Many famous celebrities and famous people suffered from extreme stress and anxiety when faced with the prospect of standing up and speaking on a stage. 

Take the case of Warren Buffet one of the richest men in the world – once he dropped out of a public speaking course out of sheer terror. Another extreme case is Mahatma Gandhi. An incident is narrated, Gandhi was due to be speaking in a court and could only manage to say the first sentence before he was tight lipped and an assistant shad to step in to rescue the situation and help Gandhi finish his speech. 

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward it is not a compliment to say it is brave." — Mark Twain

The fear of public speaking is called Gloss phobia.

Physical Symptoms of Gloss phobia:

• rapid heartbeat

• trembling

• sweating

• nausea or vomiting

• shortness of breath or hyperventilating

• dizziness

• muscle tension

• urge to get away

• dilated pupils

• tensed muscles

• tunnel vision

• pale or flushed skin

• rapid breathing

Breathing is a very important factor in overcoming the nervousness caused by the increase of adrenaline. Excess adrenaline makes us breathe shallowly which results in less intake of oxygen. To make up for it you start breathing rapidly that in turn causes your heart rate to go up.

Is my nervousness visible to others?

Your nervousness 

How can I stop being nervous?

What do I do if I fail and make a laughingstock of myself in front of a large audience?

What is the best technique for me to practice?

 Is there a check list of public speaking that I can use?

Wherever I go meeting the public… spreading a message of human values, spreading a message of harmony, is the most important thing. – Dalai Lama