“I was jittery, sweaty and talking quickly.” This is how SSU student Kylie (name changed for privacy) described her exact feelings before stepping in front of a crowd of hundreds of people, preparing to deliver a speech detailing the obstacles she has overcome throughout her lifetime and how she has managed to blossom into the confident, outgoing woman she is today. While giving this specific type of speech may be unfamiliar to most, the anxiety that comes with the delivery and build-up to it is all too common.
In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, over 61% of American university students report experiencing at least some level of anxiety or fear before delivering a speech to a crowd, regardless of whether the crowd is a smaller 10-person class or as large as Kylie’s crowd of hundreds. This statistic increases even more when looking at the overall U.S. population, rising to roughly 74%, according to the University of Florida. But why is that? Why do so many people—such as social butterflies like Kylie or even big-name celebrities like Adele—suddenly freeze up at a podium? Neuropsychologist Theo Tsaousides attributes the fear of public speaking, or “glossophobia,” to four contributing factors: physiology, our thoughts/skills and the specific situation itself. Tsaousides explains that when people are presented with “potentially threatening stimuli,” we react by preparing for that “battle,” which is our fight-or-flight response.
It is also mentioned that some people are just simply more prone to feeling more anxious generally, which also plays into whether we perceive speaking in front of a group of people as possibly “threatening” or not. For example, while Kylie felt quite nervous before and during her speech and had always recalled feeling that way about public speaking, another fellow SSU student—Jake—stated he was “not really” anxious or afraid of public speaking, even saying, “I like public speaking, and generally don’t overthink it.” He claimed not to have much experience in giving speeches or presentations to others, showcasing his natural comfort with such things.
Additionally, it is explained that people’s beliefs and views on public speaking, as well as themselves, may also correlate with this fear. If someone believes public speaking is a possible “threat,” such as to their credibility and/or image if they do not perform well, or something that should be feared for any other reason, then they are likely to become nervous as a result—because that is what they see as true. This is certainly the case for Kylie, who states, “I generally consider myself to be a good communicator, but it’s the thought of messing up and embarrassing myself that scares me.”
When asked why individuals (particularly college students) may be anxious or fearful of speaking in front of an audience, SSU public speaking professor Ann Linden reaffirmed many of Tsaousides’ thoughts and advice, such as practicing. When asked why so many people are afraid of delivering a speech to an audience, Linden stated, “It really is a vulnerable act to share your thoughts, research and ideas in a public forum.”
“Sometimes [students] think that anything less than perfection is a failure, so they put a lot of pressure on themselves,” she added.
Similarly, she described how one of the most common mistakes that her students make is striving for perfection and an overall flawless speech: “I would argue that there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect speech.’ Even brilliant, famous speeches like Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech have flubs. So if perfection is your goal, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”
Unlike Kylie’s case, where she is generally confident in her communication skills, an individual’s skillset may also contribute to these worries. Think of it as being asked to complete a task at a new workplace with no further instruction. It would likely be very stressful, and while you would likely do your best regardless, the lack of guidance and information would certainly be stressful. The feeling of being unprepared or lacking experience in something, both in the workplace and in public speaking, can create the same fearful or anxious sensation, as mentioned by Linden with her “striving for perfection” example. Thus, people who can and do work on their pre-existing skills and build new ones are more likely to be confident and strong public speakers, especially when compared to someone who has minimal experience and knowledge on how to create and deliver a “good” speech.
Lastly, sometimes a person’s fear can just be situational. Someone may be comfortable with giving a speech to peers, but may begin to worry when their audience is made up of individuals that they view as “higher-ups,” such as accomplished professionals in their field or when they are used to a certain kind of audience but have to speak in front of a completely different one. That is not to say the anxiety is correlated to the audience; it could also be due to what someone is specifically speaking about, such as a controversial topic or a new idea. Possible worries might include how the audience will react, how the message will be received or your own credibility in presenting the message/idea. Overall, if someone is not the biggest fan of the idea of delivering a message to lots of people, does not have confidence in their abilities or is even simply uncomfortable with the specific situation in which they are delivering the message, they are very likely to experience some form of mild or extreme glossophobia.
The Mayo Clinic suggests many different strategies, one of those being to know your topic and to practice. While fairly self-explanatory, they describe how knowing your topic particularly well, in addition to being passionate or caring about it, can aid your confidence while speaking on the subject, as well as providing you with the ability to easily regain your footing in case you get off-topic or otherwise go off-track. Similar reasons can be tied to being generally organized and practicing: actors, dancers and musicians all rehearse and possess strong organizational skills—and so do speakers, all so they can engrave the material in their mind and be considerably more confident when the time arrives.
But the strategies and advice don’t end there—far from it. The Mayo Clinic also suggests challenging your worries specifically. To be more specific, if you have a fear about something, write it down on a piece of paper. Then, make a list of what else could happen and, more importantly, any pieces of evidence that support whether this fear is actually likely to occur. If it is likely, come up with a plan for what to do. If it is not likely to actually happen, then it is important to reassure yourself of that. The Mayo Clinic also noted that getting support can aid in soothing nerves, such as joining a group that offers support for those who struggle with public speaking or asking a few friends to listen to you give your speech as you prepare and practice to adjust to having an audience.
Linden also provided some reassurance for those who may struggle with public speaking, stating, “I always try to reassure students that being nervous about public speaking does not mean that you can’t be an effective public speaker. … Most of us, myself included, experience at least some nervousness before a presentation. That’s perfectly normal, and it can actually be a positive if you learn to harness your nerves to help energize your delivery.”
However, all things considered, anyone could prepare endlessly for a speech and still be nervous when the time comes or do something they consider to be “messing up.” One example of this is that, while giving a speech, their mind will temporarily go “blank” or they will otherwise lose track of what they’re saying. It is important to remember that this is OK and even happens with experienced speakers. It doesn’t matter if you go quiet for a few seconds, it matters how you bounce back. You do not need to apologize or explain yourself—most listeners will not even notice the brief pause. Instead, you may simply continue and move forward with confidence.
Whether you are concerned with blanking out mid-speech or not, one thing to remember is to breathe. If at any time you find yourself getting anxious, either before, during or even after your speech, just take a few deep breaths—around four or five—and exhale slowly. In fact, Kylie put this exact method to use in her own speech, stating, “I had to focus on breathing and slowing my speech down.”
Typically, the anxiety will not last forever, either—after the first few minutes of your speech or presentation, you will find that you are considerably calmer than when you started.
The fear of public speaking is a real anxiety that a large majority of people struggle with, with some college students not taking the class until their last semester or managing to avoid it altogether, despite the undoubtedly valuable information and experience that could be gained from it. Linden stressed the importance of taking a public speaking class, noting how many people will inevitably need to make a speech or address a group of people in some way or form.
“Maybe it will be a sales pitch or training session for your job,” she said. “Maybe it will be an address to your local school board or city council. Maybe it will be a toast at a wedding or a eulogy at a funeral.”
Linden noted that regardless of the context in which you may speak to a group of people, the skills and confidence typically gained in a public speaking course, or any other form of public speaking experience, are invaluable. When asked whether the experience personally helped to ease her anxiety about possible speeches in the future, Kylie smiled and shook her head. “It absolutely didn’t,” she said with a laugh, “but it was kind of fun. I would do it again.”
