Why am I scared of public speaking?

[Admin]

There is being scared of speaking in public and there is FEAR - I have a real fear of speaking in public and despite trying a number of control techniques such as focusing on one person, etc I just cannot beat this one. Does anyone have any suggestions? Different techniques which work for you? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mark]

I was always told that when you go to a new event, venue, etc where there are many strangers, they do not have a clue about you, your issues, etc. I havent managed to do it yet, but you could act like the most confident person in the world and as they dont know you they wouldnt know you were putting it on. Has anyone ever tried this technique?

 

[GH0STP03T]

An idea I heard (but haven't tried yet) would be to assume all the people you are standing and speaking in front of are your friends or people you know. With that in mind (quite literally),you may feel a lot more confident as a result. Admittedly, this does sound easier said than done, but who knows. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually done this.

 

[Mark]

That's certainly a strategy which could work well for many people but I would probably be more nervous if I thought it was people I already knew. I have heard some bizarre strategies for coping with public speaking but yet to really find one which works for me. However, I will certainly keep trying!

 

[Jade]

There’s obviously the old saying that you should picture people in their underwear but I’m a bit skeptical about this one haha. When I've performed on stage in the past I picked up a little tip and that's to not look directly at the audience and focus on something else like the wall at the back of the room. That way it still looks like your engaging in eye contact with the audience but in reality your looking over their heads if that makes sense?

 

[Jade]

That's certainly a strategy which could work well for many people but I would probably be more nervous if I thought it was people I already knew. I have heard some bizarre strategies for coping with public speaking but yet to really find one which works for me. However, I will certainly keep trying!

Agreed! I’ve always found it more nerve racking when someone has been in the audience that I know. I imagine it would be a comfort for some people but it does the complete opposite for me and makes me much more nervous and more worried about messing up.

 

[Mark]

Interesting article:-

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/l...the-fear-out-of-public-speaking-35062416.html

I don't think I will ever get over my fear/phobia of public speaking but you never know

 

[Beattheblues]

I think the fear of public speaking is a lot more common than many people think. Let's face it, is it natural to want to stand in front of a crowd of people and talk for any length of time? Personally I take my hat off to those who can cope with public speaking as I struggle even when in the company of a small group of friends.

 

[Mark]

Sometimes it is easy to forget that we all have very different skills and while one person may be able to speak in public another may be a wizard with business ideas for example. Not being able to speak in public is not a weakness just not a particular strength of an individual. Does that make sense?

 

[Andy]

It's actually a fear of being judged and rejected, and of failure.

 

[Helprequired]

Public speaking is a huge problem for many people. Even after receiving a degree of media training I still find the thought of speaking in front of a crowd of people, where I will be the centre of attention, crucifying.