Where does the fear of public speaking come from?
If you are afraid to speak in front of the public, welcome to the club, whose members will convince you that you are not alone, as most people are in the same boat with you? However, you should not assume that there is no solution to the problem and that you are doomed to such discomfort for the rest of your life. After I have personally taught more than thirty thousand people to speak publicly, I can ensure that there are no hopeless cases. If you follow a few basic tips, you can confidently report to the public without worrying about people judging or criticizing your style. I must warn you, however, that it is not enough to plan and dream of becoming an effective and confident speaker. You will have to roll up your sleeves, become motivated, work hard, and learn to control the monster that may be torturing you.
So, devote yourself to the task of becoming a confident person who enjoys public speaking.
The fear that Emilio Mira-e-Lopez, an outstanding researcher of human behavior, called the most terrible enemy of the human race, takes the form of a black giant whose tentacles enslave our will, limit our creativity, hinder the development and awakening of potential. Fear is born with the man and remains with him for life. We are all subject to the attacks of this phantom, which is usually a figment of our imagination. Research in the United States has shown that there are people who fear public speaking more than death.
Fear is a natural defense mechanism that humanity has been improving since ancient times. In those distant days when people, for example, saw lightning, they were afraid and fled in search of refuge for fear of lightning strikes. Over time, our bodies have learned to prepare for a faster escape. When a person sees lightning and is afraid, he has an adrenaline rush, which increases blood pressure and prepares muscles for rapid flight.
We inherited this protective mechanism. Nowadays, when we feel fear, this adrenaline release helps us move faster until the adrenaline decays in the process of metabolism. During a public performance, we feel fear and the adrenaline release (which helps us to run faster), but we have nowhere to run. Therefore, adrenaline lingers in our bodies for a longer period and causes confusion, which we are too familiar with: trembling legs, sweaty palms, pounding heart, and broken voice. Even thoughts that were so clear disappear as soon as we get to the audience.
Now, when you imagine the mechanism of fear, it is easier to understand the effects of fear when we speak in public.
There are three main reasons for the fear of public speaking.
1. Insufficient knowledge of the subject
If you don't fully understand the subject, you'll always be in the unknown territory during the presentation, worrying about not forgetting an important detail, or about the fact that there is someone who understands things better than you. If you are worried that this may happen, the fear mechanism will be triggered and the result will be an adrenaline rush to "protect" you.
2. Lack of public speaking practice
If you have no experience of public speaking, you will have to do something unfamiliar to the audience. You will be worried that you are not doing your job well and that this will damage your image. Once again, the fear mechanism comes into play with its "protective" release of adrenaline.
3. Lack of self-confidence
You may not know yourself, especially when you are standing in front of an audience.
Like everyone else, you almost certainly have two different speakers inside you: one real and the other imaginary. The real speaker is you, the real speaker, the one who is seen by the people around you. An imaginary speaker is others see a figment of your imagination, the person you think while you are reading the report. This imaginary speaker mainly consists of negative feedback received by you in moments of sadness, defeat, and condemnation. This feedback forms a negative "self" image, distorted, different from your real image. The negative self-image created reinforces the imaginary speaker, so he or she is usually also negative. As a result, you are likely to be afraid of criticism and feel that people do not like your speech. The alarm about the possible outcome of events again triggers a protective mechanism, and you feel the adrenaline release and its consequences.