Dreading the Boards: The Fear of Public Speaking

What is it about public speaking that makes it the most common of all phobias? Published on February 24, 2014 by Adrian Furnham, Ph ! in A "ide#ays $ie# 0 in"hare

Which is the most common phobia in the #orld? Fear of flying? "piders? %eights? "nakes &o, it is public speaking 't is a skill you need to ha(e in order to do #ell in business And it can be a nice little earner )he art of public speaking is a must for any senior e*ecuti(e 't is all about packaging content to become belie(able, persuasi(e and memorable Public speaking can also be a highly lucrati(e post+successful+career hobby Washed+up politicians, sports+people and academics long to be on the after+dinner circuit A surprising number of people ha(e a fear of public speaking, a social phobia associated #ith an intense reaction to being e(aluated by others )he spotlight effect leads to a #ell+kno#n set of reactions, blushing, mumbling, s#eating, stammering -et, as a senior manager, you are fre.uently called to tell your story, inspire the troops, gi(e presentations and speak at conferences -ou represent your team, department and company

Find a Therapist
"earch for a mental health professional near you
City or Zip

Find Local:

Acupuncturists /hiropractors 0assage )herapists !entists and more1

City or Zip

An essential, not 2ust desirable, skill therefore &o #onder there are so many companies out there offering help and ad(ice )hey deli(er a sort of presentation+skills+#ith+therapy, less on slides, more on feelings 0ostly self+esteem management And nearly all clients say they recei(e real benefits 'f you are good, self+assured and ha(e held some interesting post or been on tele(ision, there is plenty of opportunity )he speaking business is huge and gro#ing, despite the recession

)here seems to be an increasing hunger for the sage on the stage )hey can be #ell paid345 to 4106 a gig is not unusual, and 5 to 10 times that for 7A list8 celebrities )here are dra#backs "ignificant tra(el9 be#ildered and bored audience9 dodgy simultaneous translations9 and sometimes, #orst of all, ha(ing to do small talk at receptions and dinners #ith dull delegates "ome people are more natural speakers than others )he e*tra(erted9 the articulate9 the 7oral8 personalities seem to ha(e an ad(antage )hey ha(e learnt early the po#er of a good yarn, be it round the campfire, the dinner+party table, or the boardroom A great deal of the effecti(eness of any talk lies, of course, in the content :ut, 2ust as brilliantly structured, #itty, e(en profound content can be spoilt, unappreciated or go unnoticed as a result of poor deli(ery, so style can sometimes compensate for content )here are many amusing yet essentially useful mnemonics for the public speaker "ome talk of pace, pause and pitch ;ead a sermon you ha(e heard and it can seem thin or rambling :ut great preachers kno# the (alue of pace Pace changes, slo# for profound, fast for e*citement or #it )aste the #ords, modulate the (oice, gesture to enhance meaning <ood speakers kno# also about both forms of pitch, content pitch and sound pitch )he former means getting the content right for the audience = neither too high fallutin8 nor patronising >.ually, it is important that the speaker can be heard clearly Pause for effect, pause for reflection, pause for profundity )oo many politicians ha(e forgotten this 'n their manic desire to 7keep the conch shell8 during the Pa*man inter(ie#, they o(erlook the po#er of the pause Pauses can be interpreted as doubt, dysphasia, dither :ut they can, and should, be used to great effect :usiness people do not generally think of themsel(es as orators )hey simply #ant to ensure they get across an accessible, high impact, memorable message )hey are told to 6eep 't "imple "tupid ?6'""@ and to look confident, comfortable and committed #hile 7doing the speech8, e(en if not #ritten by themsel(es "peech #riters do kno# a thing or t#o about rhetorical de(ices )hey ha(e A:/s, such as anticipation, balance and comparison 0any ha(e studied the techni.ues of other great orators And there is a list of useful tips to remember /ontrasts are good, the bad past, the glorious future /ontradiction resolution is good, as are comparing opposites As and them9 the sa(ed and the damned9 the path to prosperity and the road to ruin 't8s good to resol(e the problem if it means creating false problems in the first place And there is a magic number "omeho# lists of three #ords or ideas ha(e a cadence and a force that t#o or four do not People like stories and anecdotes, e(en if they bear a fairly tenuous relationship to the truth ;onald ;eagan #as a famous e*ponent of the art "tories are memorable9 easily retold )hey can, like parables ?no# called case studies@, ha(e multiple meanings

:ut good speech #riters ha(e to understand the craft of the poet )his is the art of e*ploiting and e*ploring not only the meaning but the sound of #ords and the pictures con2ured up by analogies, similes and metaphors First you tell them #hat you are going to tell them9 then you tell them9 then you tell them #hat you ha(e told them )#eak their emotions by appealing to their deepest (alues and an*ieties 0ake them belie(e in you by heroic (isions of a ne# and better #orld ;emember the po#er of the story, phrase or anecdote #hich becomes the slogan "mile a lot9 look confident )hro# a#ay Po#erPoint and creati(e artists Bearn the art of the script #riter, read poetry and great speeches And practise, practise, practise