Fear of Public Speaking - Essay Example

Fear of Public Speaking The fear of public speaking is familiar to everyone, perhaps. It was foundthat more than 95% of the inhabitants of the Earth suffer with moderate and severe forms of this phobia. One of the main causes of the fear of speaking in public is the excessive emotionality, which gives rise to anxiety and discomfort. Focusing on the negative expectations, one programs himself up for failure, what results in panics and loose of the control. Scientists have observed that the amount of the audience does not matter, but it is much more important how much orator is familiar with the audience.

The average person is able to experience the fear in front of unfamiliar audience; however the audience of the same size consisting of his classmates or colleagues would not call such fear. Usually, recalling to my own experience in such issue, I can say that those, who are going to make speech, are afraid of that they would present material badly, they would not reach the essence of it, they would not be understood, perceived badly, would become guilty, interrupted, asked a difficult question, somebody would notice and focus on their errors – mostly it can be described as the fear of public evaluation.

According to psychologists, all factors that influence the development of fear of speaking are the result of a combination of social and genetic factors. To genetic factors they include the type of temperament and innate tendency to experience certain kinds of fear, fear that they will not be accepted by the other people. However, a key role in the development of fear of a live audience is played by social factors. People with low self-esteem, who are prone to stress and depression, are often afraid to speak in public.

About myself I can say that I tend manifestation of perfectionism, including the fact I value other peoples opinions, I do not like to speak as a representative of the team because my mistake will affect the whole group. In addition, many, like me, could probably remember a situation, they have seen or experienced, when parents forbade their child shouting and talking loudly in the society. Such a negative experience can be consolidated at school when teacher affords negative evaluation of the report by clicking on the personal qualities of the student.

As a result, the mind is fixing on the shyness and fear of losing the logic of the narration. It can be also noted that standing on the stage, you may get lost, because during the dialogue we mainly involuntarily try to look in the face of our interlocutor. And here our companion is a faceless mass of people, and the look cannot stop on someone specifically, depriving the speaker of element of stability. So what can be done to defeat the fear of public speaking and what do I keep in mind preparing to the speech?

First of all, one needs to get rid of the defects of diction, if he has any, and words of parasites from the speech. You must carefully plan your speech: to write down the key moments in order of importance to make a coherent, logical speech. It is important to well-rehearse the speech for several times. It would not be bad if you would look at the place where it is necessary to act. It is recommended to think about your clothes that will give confidence and help to cope with the discomfort. Psychologists advise to distract from the personal feelings and concentrate on the essential - on the speech.

Also, if the speaker uses notes, they should be logically ordered and arranged as comfortable as possible. Thus, the success of speech depends more on mood and proper training than on the abilities of the speaker.