Don’t let the fear of public speaking hinder your growth!

Written by: Sofija Hristova 

Edited by: Dr. Dimitrios V. Nikolaidis

Have you ever felt anxiety when you are asked to present in class? Did you ever feel like you cannot find the words to express yourself or visibly tremble while talking to superiors? Have you ever felt the cold sweat coming as a wave through all your body and the shaking of your hands while you are talking to people you don't  know? If the answer to even one of these questions is YES then you are facing fear of public speaking or glossophobia.

It is argued that the fear of public speaking is the most common among all phobias. Like any other form of fear, people tend to protect themselves by either avoiding, or by struggling unsuccessfully against this social anxiety. Unfortunately this fear can trick people into avoidance of many opportunities and eventually hinder their growth.

Students that have glossophobia tend to avoid public speaking by choosing or transferring from classes that demand them to speak in front of the class, rather than taking the classes they really want. Further in their lives, they can pass on promotions and assignments that would require public speaking in their work environment. Ultimately they will throw away the career of their dreams, all because they fear something that is not life threatening.

The first thing that should come to mind of a person facing this phobia and is taking the step forward to give a speech that is important for her or his career is to focus on their message they have come to deliver and not on how they feel. Also, these people as they grow they are more often called to share their experience and expertise with groups of people and as a result they become more and more anxious.

As PR students we are taught how to get the audiences' attention, how to apply effective solutions on problems and how to present the idea successfully to our stakeholders. However, people with the fear of public speaking cannot control and frequently fail to practice the theory previously learned and understood. They tend to talk fast in order to finish their speech quickly and it results in loosing breath and to look even more unsecure and anxious. Next, they willingly avoid interaction and eye contact with the audience and it causes the speaker to concentrate more on its thought and thus feel more anxious. The last thing that people with glossophobia tend to do is fighting hard to hide the fear. By doing this they do not fool the audience, but they rather fool themselves.

It is comfortable to know that the fear of public speaking is common in Public Relations industry. But when it comes to public speaking opportunities, there is no time for the PR professional to fear. That is why according randjpr.com there are 6 tips and tricks that will be discussed in the following text on how to overcome glossophobia and do the duty of a successful PR.

• Do your research: The best way to be comfortable with the presentation is to actually be knowledgeable on the topic and prepared to answer every question posed.
• Know your audience: Be sure that the topic discussed is aligned with the interests of the audience, it is relevant and attracts their interest.
• Create an outline: by creating an outline, the speaker will organize their thoughts and they will be able to cover all the subjects efficiently.
• Write the speech as it would be spoken in normal conversation: choosing words that are used in the normal everyday conversation will make the speaker more comfortable.
• Read out loud and practice: by reading out load the speaker can correct all the grammar and also can approximate the time for the speech. With practicing the speaker can feel more confident on the knowledge of the topic covered.
• Do not procrastinate: BE PREPARED!

 As a conclusion, speeches are hard or interesting or fun as much as the speaker is making them. It is not wise to let the fear overcome and hinder the growth of a person and his or her career. And not to be forgotten, practice makes it perfect!