Public Speaking

Anxiety
Glossophobia
 Objective
• Understand Public Speaking Anxiety
• Causes of Public Speaking Anxiety
• Symptoms Associated with Public
Speaking Anxiety
• Prepare for an Effective Public
Speech
• Tips to have an Effective Public
Speech
Public Speaking Anxiety
• Public Speaking Anxiety is very common.
•It is estimated that as many as 85% of people
experience more or less anxiety when they speak
in public
•If your nervousness about speaking is
interfering with your life and things that you
would like to do, you may have a Social Phobia.
• A phobia is a fear that is out of proportion to
the danger.
•Public Speaking Anxiety is the most common
form of a phobia.
GLOSSOPHOBIA

a.k.a.
Speech
Anxiety
 Glossophobia
• Fear of Public Speaking.
• Informally referred to as “stage
fright”.
• Single most common phobia.
• Is thought to affect as many as
three out of every four
people.
• Considered to be a social anxiety
disorder (SAD).
 Example
• A glossophobic might make a conscious
effort to avoid situations in which he or
she may have to engage in public speaking,
thus limiting his or her life and career
choices.
• Jerry Seinfeld said, "The average person
at a funeral would rather be in the casket
than doing the eulogy."
Attributions to Public
Speaking Anxiety
 Speech anxiety can usually be
attributed to…
• Single or more traumatic incidents, usually
experienced personally but sometimes associated
with someone who has, or
• A slow build-up form avoiding public speaking over
time until it builds into a more severe form of
glossophobia.
• A series of beliefs formed early in life some
of which have to do with speaking and some of
which have to do with competence and failure.
 Other causes of speech
anxiety…
• Thinking it is inherently stressful
• Thinking you need to be brilliant or
perfect
• Trying to cram too much information into
a short period of time
• Trying to make everyone happy
• Trying to be someone you are not
 Other causes of speech
anxiety…Continued
• Not being humble
• Being fearful of negative outcomes
• Trying to control something that is out of
your hands
• Over preparing
• Remember you are your worst critic
Symptoms
Symptoms of speech anxiety can be
categorized into three groups
• Physical
– Autonomic Nervous system
• Fight or flight reaction
» Acute hearing
» Increased heart rate
» Increased blood pressure
» Dilated pupils
» Sweating
» Heaving breathing
» Stiff muscles
» Dry mouth
• Verbal
• Tense voice
• Quivering voice
• Repetition of “umms” and “ahhs”
• Non-verbal
• Tone of voice
• Facial expressions
• Body movement
 Some more examples of
Symptoms
• Intense anxiety prior to, or at the
thought of having to give a
speech.
• Avoiding events where attention may be
shifted to you.
• Physical distress, nausea, or feelings of
panic in situations where you must give a
speech.
Preparingto give a
Speech
 PREPARING TO GIVE A
SPEECH
• CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT INTEREST YOU

• BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE VENUE

• ASK FOR ACCOMMODATIONS

• DON’T SCRIPT IT
 PREPARING TO GIVE A
SPEECH
• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE !!

• PREPARE FOR HECKLERS

• GET SOME PERSPECTIVE

• IMAGINE YOUESLEF SUCCEEDING

10 Tips to Improve
Your Speaking Voice
 Breathe from your diaphragm
• Practice long and controlled exhales.
• When you speak, use breath to punctuate your
point
Use Pitch
• Lower pitches generally are more soothing to hear.
• Modulating your pitch for emphasis will keep your
listeners engaged.
Moderate your volume
• Find out if you speak too loudly or to softly.

•Try to stay at the appropriate volume throughout your

speech.
 Moderate your pace
• If you speak too quickly , people can’t keep up.

• If you speak to slowly, people will lose interest.

• Record your speech to determine if you need to

change your pace.

Articulate
• Try exaggerating your lip movement to reduce mumbling.

•Practice articulating tongue twisters as quickly and

crisply as possible
 Practice
• Practice your speech in advance and determine
where you want to pause for a breath.

• For emphasis, pause for more than one breath.

• Mark your breat h in g po in ts in your notes

L o o s e n u p
• Before you begin. Look side to side.

• Roll your head in half- circles and roll your shoulders back.

• Stretch, yawn, touch your toes while completely relaxing

your upper body, then slowly stand up, one vertebra at a
time,
raising your head last. Repeat as needed.
 Posture
• Stand up straight and tall to allow full lung capacity and
airflow.

Record
• Record your voice repeatedly using different ways of
speaking.

• Determine which one is most pleasing

Practice Breath Control

• Take a deep breath, and while you exhale, count to 10

•Try gradually increasing your volume as you count, using

your
•abdominal muscles – not your throat- for volume.

•Don’t let your larynx tense up.