Fear Of Public Speaking: How To Conquer It
How to overcome your fear of public speaking
Become A Confident Speaker
In this post we take a look at how to overcome your fear of public speaking. Firstly, be reassured that you are not alone! Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, is very common.
Let’s start by looking at what causes so many of us to fear speaking in public. And then we’ll look at ways to deal with those fears and become a more confident speaker.
Anxiety, Nerves, Fear – The Causes
Lack of confidence in certain situations can be triggered by a single traumatic event, often in childhood.
Over time that first event will be reinforced by others. It’s a bit like a snowball increasing in size as it’s rolled in the snow.
If something happens when you are young that scares or embarrasses, or even humiliates you, it can seem really important and all-consuming.
When recalled in adult life, it may seem to be a small incident. It may even be forgotten. However, your unconscious mind can link the emotion experienced at the time with other events as you grow.
Eventually it develops into a firm belief. This can continue unconsciously well into adulthood before it emerges as a significant issue.
Many of us have a specific fear. Spiders, birds, snakes, heights, tunnels, entering a room full of strangers, flying; the list is endless.
But fear of public speaking is one of the more common ones.
Sometimes we have a combination of several fears, or a general unease and lack of confidence.
Beware snowballs
Don’t Look At Me
If you haven’t been listened to in early life, or you’ve been told to stop talking rubbish, it’s easy to develop a belief that what you say isn’t worth listening to.
Later in life, when you see others speaking, you big them up in your mind. You could never be that good could you?
From there, taking a back seat becomes an expectation leading to a belief that being away from the spotlight is where you belong. It is your role. It is where you fit.
What you have done is to settle into your comfort zone. You avoid challenging yourself to tackle something that might go wrong.
In meetings you may be afraid to express your opinion. You let others do the talking even though you know more about the subject under discussion than they do. But you still keep quiet.
Not speaking up can give the wrong impression of your abilities, and your career prospects are damaged. So that comfort zone isn’t always comfortable. Certainly not if it stops you from achieving your ambitions.
Expectation
Most of us have expectations. Expectations of others and of ourselves.
We are disappointed when others don’t meet our expectations. We may feel let down. Likewise, we can be fearful of letting down others. As a result, we avoid challenges such as giving a speech or making a presentation.
Your background can also have a strong bearing.
If you come from a family where mother, father, aunts and uncles are doctors, lawyers, company directors and the like, you’ll probably grow up believing that you will be in a similar profession.
It’s a sort of unconsciously absorbed confidence.
However, if your family struggles to make its way, to find work, to put food on the table, to pay the bills, you may well find it difficult to envisage standing up and speaking in front of two or three hundred people at a conference. You develop an unconscious belief that this isn’t your place.
Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking!
Change Your Beliefs
Firstly, there needs to be acceptance that beliefs are not necessarily fact, but you choose to accept them as such. Superstitions, old wives’ tales, conspiracy theories and urban myths are all examples of this choice.
So how do you dismantle that belief?
Start by picking holes in it. Ask yourself:
- Even if lots of people believe this, does everyone believe it?
- What would happen to me if I did not believe this?
- Is there any rationality in the belief? If there is, what is it?
For nervousness about public speaking, try to pin down the actual fear or belief.
And remember that most audiences will be on your side wanting you to succeed. Why wouldn’t they? Keep reminding yourself of that.
Routines & Habits
We often rely on routines and habits.
Routines and habits are driven by the unconscious mind, which not only helps us feel secure and in control but also saves the conscious mind from having to use the energy required for intense concentration.
For oft-repeated tasks the unconscious mind can be left to get on with them.
Just as you can train your brain to take you home without consciously thinking about it, so you can train it to deal with your fears and anxiety.
One of the ways you can help yourself is to accept that your belief is only a belief and therefore it can be changed. The odd lapse is to be expected but it shouldn’t be allowed to derail your new, more confident self.
Out of the Comfort Zone
Routines provide comfort. They become a safe place. You know what to expect and how to deal with it. As a result, you feel in control.
Because routines help you feel comfortable, you can feel completely out of control when required to do something outside of your comfort zone.
For most people, delivering a presentation takes them out of that comfort zone. You don’t know what to expect and therefore find it difficult to prepare for it. After all, how can you prepare for the unknown?
Practice, Practice, Practice
The old adage Practice makes perfect has truth behind it. But don’t worry about being perfect. You just need to be good enough to take on the challenge to overcome your fear of public speaking.
If you enter for a marathon, you wouldn’t just turn up on the start line without preparation would you?
If you were serious, you’d probably start your preparation a year in advance of the event. Gradually you would build up the distance you could run, perhaps taking in a half-marathon along the way.
Developing speaking confidence can be tackled in a similar way.
You could start by trying to speak up a bit more when with friends. Don’t sit meekly and let them talk over you.
How about plucking up courage in meetings? If a subject arises that you know about, why not venture an opinion?
When the opportunity to deliver a presentation comes along, be bold and take it. Learn the subject inside out. Plan the content and structure it carefully.
Then practise the presentation. Practise it again. And again. Try to start well in advance if you can. Rehearse several times a day for a few days before the presentation.
Develop your speaking notes as you go. You know your subject and the content of your presentation will now be imbedded in your mind. You are set for success.
Little by little, confidence can be built. As a result, self-belief grows. Others may notice and comment favourably, but don’t worry if they don’t.
Modelling
YouTube offers lots of opportunities to watch others speak. TED talks and politicians’ speeches are there aplenty.
Watch as many as you can. Which ones impress you? Analyse what makes them good in your eyes. What aspects could you copy?
Take Barack Obama as an example.
Nervous speakers often speak very quickly, hardly giving themselves time to breathe or to think.
That also means the listener doesn’t have time to digest the message. Most people can speak at a faster pace than they can listen.
When Barack Obama delivers a speech, his delivery is measured. One or two sentences at a time.
He gives himself time to scan his autocue. Time to breathe. And an opportunity for the audience to take in what he’s said.
Take a look at some of his speeches.
Of course, Obama’s approach isn’t necessarily appropriate in a business meeting.
But slowing down and taking a measured approach will help. It will make you sound more confident and it will help the other participants to take in what you’ve said.
Warning!
You shouldn’t try to model yourself too closely on the people you are analysing. It’s a case of selecting the elements that can work for you.
Be wary of looking at top speakers and thinking you could never be that good. The aim is just to be the best you can be.
And one day, you might just be as good as them.
PS – Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking With Our Help
Just as with athletes, top speakers have coaches. That’s probably beyond the means of most people. But if you want to overcome your fear of public speaking there’s a very good next best thing.
Joining a speakers’ club!
Well-run clubs provide a safe place. A safe place to practise. To experiment. And to make mistakes. Development is about making mistakes and learning.
Although the adage is Practice makes perfect, it becomes much more realistic when amended to Practice, plus constructive feedback, makes for a confident and effective speaker. OK, perhaps not quite as catchy but it’s what speakers’ clubs offer.
Take every opportunity to try out new techniques, tackle new subjects, enabling you to receive the valuable gift of constructive feedback from more experienced members. They will demonstrate how to be even better next time you speak. And they’ll provide support and encouragement.
There is one thing that is sure to minimise and destroy your inner demons.
That is to do the thing you fear. Yet so tough to do alone.
So much easier alongside people in your speakers’ clubs who love to help. They have been where you are, felt what you feel, and will guide you towards speaking confidence.
And the demons will be no more.
We can help you chase out the demons
(This post was last updated 6th January 2025)
The original post was co-written by Derek Norval. Derek has run a number of sessions at Bromsgrove Speakers Club on public speaking confidence.
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