Fear of Speaking in Public

Fear of Public Speaking

Public speaking is perhaps the most stressful type of communication there is. Few people do not, in some way, fear it, especially when coming up in front of an audience for the first time. Some people appear to be excellent public speakers, especially when they do so habitually. President Obama, for example, seems to be particularly good at public speaking. Some preachers also have the power to hold their audiences in the palms of their hands. Sometimes I am sure that those addressing an audience for the first time wish that they could ask somebody with true expertise for some advice. When addressing an audience, an individual would do well to investigate other public speakers, research public speaking itself, and research his or her topic as well as possible.

First, even though it is not possible to obtain personal advice from a habitual public speaker like President Obama, there are many sources available on his and other speeches. Before a public speaking event, a person who feels nervous about such an effort could therefore search for videos online, whether of President Obama or another public speaker that is admired. One can then look out for clues aobut what makes the person a good public speaker. Hand gestures, facial expression, and the focus of they eyes can all provide clues to good public speaking. When one is aware of such strategies and plans to use them in the speech to be given, this can significantly alleviate the fear associated with the event. In this way, the person can use others' public speaking efforts to help overcome his or her own fear of the event.

Second, there are many sources that offer advice on public speaking. In addition to researching public speakers and the way in which they offer their speeches, a person could also research public speaking itself. There is a lot of good advice on public speaking, including how to address an audience, what tone of voice to use, how to incorporate gestures, and so on. The person who is to give the speech might even go as far as first researching the various components of public speaking and then rewatching some of the downloaded public speaking videos. Then, he or she could critically evaluate the speaker and use this to inform his or her own speech. In this way, the person could learn from what others have done, including their mistakes and small mishaps. Great encouragement can also be drawn from the fact that absolutely nobody is absolutely perfect in public speaking at all times. The small mistakes and mishaps during a speech is what makes each person a human being. This can also endear a speaker to his or her audience. Hence, this is another element that can serve to calm a person delivering a public speech for the first time.