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What's the Greatest Fear Faced by People in North America? Public Speaking! Now's the Time to Face it! By Jacques Waisvisz
Have you attended meetings where you wanted to contribute and simply did not dare to get up and be heard? Why is it that so many people who have worthwhile contributions to make avoid getting up in front of a group of people to put their thoughts into words? Why is it that small vocal minorities often seem to get their way? Why is it that Toastmasters International attracts close to 170,000 members every year? Because many people are afraid to get up in front of a group to make a presentation.
The Book of Lists, a U.S. publication, says the greatest fear of people in North America is to get up in front of a group of people to make a presentation. Many psychiatrists and therapists today seem to agree that for many people, this fear is a learned behavior that probably started during their school years.
Kindergarten! Show and Tell! I bet you can recall several of your little class mates who were called upon to get up in front of their class and who left their mark...on the floor. That's how scared they were!
Elementary School. Presentations in front of the class. This was the period when we had crushes, and the subject of our admiration was snickering at our ineptness.
High School. Did the teacher always know the kid who had not prepared his or her homework? Another humiliation in front of our peers!
Is it any wonder that we grow up with this negative attitude about speaking to a group? Of course not! It's the result of negative conditioning. We've learned that speaking in front of a group is to be avoided at all costs because it creates nothing but pain and embarrassment.
If you're afflicted by this fear, it might console you to know that you're not alone. However, that doesn't help very much, does it? Take courage--there are effective ways to overcome this fear.
In the meantime, here are a few tips.
1. Fear is not Forever--Realize that the fear is a learned behavior that can be unlearned.
2. Organization--Break the speech into easily-recognizable parts (an opening, body and conclusion).
3. Sympathy--Realize that the audience is usually sympathetic towards the speaker. They're on your side.
The ability to conquer nervousness and speak with self-confidence is not difficult to acquire. It's not a gift bestowed by Providence on only a few rarely-endowed individuals. YOU can become a confident and successful speaker.
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