Public Speaking Anxiety

Posted by Douglas Parker Dec 2, 2007

Your heart starts to race, the blood leaves your fingers and toes, your throat goes dry, you shake, and you really wonder why in the world you are doing this.

Well, don't worry. This is quite normal. Your body is undergoing what is known as a psychosomatic or psychological stress, and this reaction has been a function of humans for a very long time! The bad news is that there really is not too much you can do about it. As you know, the body is going to react that way no matter what you do. In fact, the process can be broken down into four distinct phases, which are typical of most stressful situations.

Your speech anxiety can be traced in four basic steps:

-Your assignment - this is the stressor, or cause of your anxiety. "You must deliver a speech to inform..."

-Conception/Reaction - you consciously react. "I'm afraid of speaking in front of people. Oh, man, I'm dead..."

-The body reacts! - all sorts of natural, yet nasty chemicals are dumped into the bloodstream (as discussed in last week’s blog). "Oh, my stomach hurts..."

-Resultant - a nervous start to your presentation. "I, ah, well, you know, went to the game, and, uh..."

Once you understand your fears, and if possible discuss them with your classmates, you will be better able to cope with your Conception/Reaction. You cannot avoid these speeches, but you can learn to control your attitude about them. You will discover that each time you make a speech in class you’ll gain experience, and with experience comes the ability to lower your dread.

Resource:

Parker, Douglas A. Basic Public Speaking, 2nd Edition- The Roadmap to Confident Communications! (ISBN: 0-7388-5619-3). 2001. Xlibris, Random House Ventures.