Public speaking anxiety: what is it and how do I stop it?
Did you know that public speaking anxiety, also known as Glossophobia, affects 75% of people in the UK alone? So, if you get hot flushes, a sudden lack of confidence, or even have panic attacks at the thought of speaking in front of people, the good news is you’re not alone.
Before we share our tips for overcoming your fear, we’ll start at the very beginning and explain what public speaking anxiety really is. Unravelling the reasons behind why it happens will help immensely when you come to discovering ways to defeat it.
What is public speaking anxiety?
Public speaking anxiety is a certain level of nervousness, worry or panic you may experience before speaking out loud. The side effects people can suffer from varies from person to person. You may get sweaty palms, hot flushes, feel sick, feel faint, or sometimes it can bring on a full-blown panic attack.
It’s important to know that everyone will have a feeling of anxiety at some point in their lives, and public speaking anxiety is extremely common. If you’re in a room with 10 people, we bet at least 7 of those people will be worried about speaking out loud! That’s more than you think, right?
What causes public speaking anxiety?
Anxiety and public speaking anxiety can be brought on by a number of different things. From having a bad experience from a time where you spoke out loud, to being worried about what people might think of you. The reasons why you have public speaking anxiety can be endless. And, whilst it’s important to get to the bottom of why you’re having these feelings, many people who have difficulties with it have one feeling in common - vulnerability.
Every one of us at School of Connection has experienced public speaking anxiety, and, at times, we still do. Using our own experiences, alongside proven methods to tackle anxiety head-on, we work with you to feel comfortable with your vulnerability and use these feelings to turn them into positive actions and outcomes.
When might you experience public speaking anxiety?
People that feel public speaking anxiety may experience these feelings every day or there may be specific times in your life that triggers these feelings to occur. We’ve listed below some of the
places this type of anxiety can rear its head. However, we’re all individuals, which means what may be a trigger for one person, it’s likely yours will be different.
Some of the most common places you may encounter public speaking anxiety.
At work: performing a presentation to your peers, speaking up in team meetings, liaising with clients or trying to secure a promotion or new job
At home: trying to explain your feelings to family, sticking up for something you believe in, or handling household admin like speaking with landlords and suppliers
In social settings: out with a group of friends, the ability to relax whilst on a date, or having the courage to put yourself out there and speak with new people
Is there treatment for public speaking anxiety?
Whilst there are no magic medicines to take for public speaking anxiety, there are a number of things you can do to ease the side effects. Some people are tempted to have an alcoholic drink or two to reduce nerves, but we believe the best way to tackle glossophobia is to equip yourself with tools to handle your vulnerability. Taking medicines or alcohol will only mask feelings for a while, and your thoughts will still be there when you stop taking them.
The best ‘treatment’ for public speaking anxiety is to start with accepting how you feel and then understand the cause of your feelings. Only then, can you start to find ways to overcome your fears.
The work we do is more significant than just helping people reduce their anxiety. The conventional way of building confidence has a ‘fake it until you make it’ approach. However, we believe this can lead us to hide who we really are, which in turn loses real connections with people. To get you started, here are our 5 top tips for overcoming public speaking anxiety.
5 ways to overcome public speaking anxiety
Tip 1: Embrace your anxiety
We bet the phrase ‘embrace your anxiety’ makes you feel anxious before you’ve even done anything! But, without sounding too ‘woo woo’ it’s an essential first step to take to help you overcome your fear of public speaking.
Anxiety a lot of the time stems from not feeling confident or comfortable in a situation. In order to understand what’s happening it’s important to ask yourself why you feel anxious when presenting to an audience, in a meeting with peers, or talking with friends? Could your reasons be...
You’re worried people will laugh at you?
You think you’ll look silly?
People might not think you’re good enough?
Someone will see you as an imposter?
You’re concerned about the outcome of a conversation?
You don’t like confrontation?
Or, the thought of rejection scares you?
Once you have identified your why, you can then embrace your anxiousness and start unravelling the cause of it. And, once you understand the cause, you’ll find it a lot easier to discover techniques to overcome the feelings you have.
Tip 2: Find a breathing technique that works for you
When we feel anxious our heart beats faster and we become more aware of our breathing. You can quickly take back control of your anxiety by using breathing techniques to make you feel calmer and more rational about a situation you’re in.
It’s important to try a few different breathing techniques to ensure you find an effective method that works for you. If you try one and it doesn’t work, go on to try the next.
Here are a few of our favourite breathing exercises. Give them a go next time you’re feeling worried about speaking in public.
Diaphragmatic breathing - the diaphragm controls the breath, and learning to use your diaphragm to breathe will help control your anxiety and enable you to sustain speaking for longer periods of time. Sit up straight, place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. As you inhale through the nose let your belly expand. As you exhale, let your belly contract. Practise breathing in this way as much as you can, so next time you come to speak in public the technique will come naturally to you.
Pinch a pressure point whilst taking deep breaths - massaging pressure points are great for reducing stress and anxiety. Our favourite pressure point is in the webbing between your thumb and forefinger. Massage this point for ten seconds whilst taking slow, deep breaths. Don’t try this one if you’re pregnant though, as this particular pressure point is sometimes used to induce labour!
Mindful breathing - this technique is ideal if you find yourself feeling anxious in a quiet place on your own. Close your eyes, exhale in and out slowly and focus all of your attention on your breathing - shutting away any other thoughts or distractions. Once you have managed to let your mind drift away from your present place, stay here for a few minutes, breathing in and out, slowly and deeply. Then, when you’re feeling in a better mindset, gently return your attention to the present.
Tip 3: Project your voice
You may find your voice wobbles and sounds croaky when speaking in public. When this happens, pause, take a breath and start again with a concentrated effort to project your voice. The muscles you use (in your diaphragm) to make your voice heard helps tackle nerves and transforms these feelings into confident energy. Try thinking about speaking from your stomach - not your throat. That makes it easier to find the right power you need to speak clearly and steadily.
Tip 4: Be honest with your audience
Whoever you’re speaking to - whether it’s a large audience, a small group, or one person - honesty is always the best policy when you’re feeling anxious. Tell these people how you feel. Don’t try to hide your anxiety.
It can also help to end your disclosure of feeling anxious with a question or action for your audience to think about. For example:
Have a work presentation? You could say, “I’ll be honest I’m feeling anxious about this, but here I go. Your feedback is welcomed along the way.”
Worried about a one to one conversation? You could say, “I get nervous in situations like this. Do you?”
Lucky for us, we live in a world where people like people who are open, sincere and real. Not overconfident characters who have an air of fakeness about them. So, by being honest about your anxiety, you can use this to your advantage to connect with your audience, and in turn we guarantee it’ll make these people like you a whole lot more!
Tip 5: Don’t think too much about what you’re doing
This final piece of advice might sound crazy, especially if you’re preparing for a presentation to land you a promotion. But, when we say ‘don’t think too much about what you’re doing’ we mean don’t overthink the situation you’re in. By all means practise, practise and practise your presentation - after all, that’s what will make you good at what you do. However, when it comes to speaking to your audience, try not to overthink about the setting you’re in and how your ‘speech’ will go.
Focus all your attention on how your presentation makes you feel. Perhaps you’re proud of your team’s achievements? Passionate about a new product launch? Or do you feel your company is 100% the right fit for a new client? Tap into these feelings and your enthusiasm will shine through, making your speech an inspiring one!
Final thoughts…
Remember, if you’re worried about your public speaking anxiety, don’t be. It’s highly likely the person you’re speaking to would feel the same. Don’t shy away from your feelings, accept them and be open about them. Authenticity is endearing and people like people who are honest about their vulnerability.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how to overcome your fear of public speaking (whether at work or in your social life), get in touch, we’d love to help. Our online and in-person courses are always full of people feeling just the same as you.