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Psychology Breakthrough: Overcoming Fear

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The Psychology of Fear: Definition, Symptoms, Traits, Causes, Treatment

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Florence Yeung

Editor at Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons), Psychology, MSc, Clinical Mental Health Sciences

Florence Yeung is a certified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner with three years of clinical experience in NHS primary mental health care. She is presently pursuing a ClinPsyD Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT). In her capacity as a trainee clinical psychologist, she engages in specialist placements, collaborating with diverse borough clinical groups and therapeutic orientations.

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

On This Page:

What Is Fear?

Fear is a natural and primitive emotion that can be experienced by everyone to some degree.

Fear is a basic, emotional response to a perceived threat or danger. It triggers the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response, leading to physiological changes like increased heart rate and adrenaline levels.

Fear is an essential survival mechanism, helping individuals react to potentially life-threatening situations. It can respond to immediate, tangible threats and more abstract or future concerns. Fear can also be learned through past experiences or observations.

People may experience fear when in situations such as walking home alone at night, facing animals they perceive as dangerous, or when about to skydive out of a plane.

Fear can also be attributed to feelings of stress and anxiety. It may also contribute to some feelings of disgust, as according to a study investigating those who feared or did not fear snakes, those who experienced this fear reported high feelings of disgust and fear (Rádlová et al., 2020).

Fear is a very natural human response that arises as a defense mechanism in the face of potential danger or harm. It can manifest in a variety of situations and is a normal part of the human experience.

However, when fear becomes extreme in certain situations, such as in social situations or towards a particular object, it may indicate a more significant issue.

In such cases, seeking professional help and support can be beneficial in managing and overcoming the fear.

Biochemical Reaction

Fear is a normal response to many situations and comprises two primary reactions: biochemical and emotional.

The biochemical reaction to fear causes our bodies to respond to perceived threats in the environment.

This produces automatic physical reactions such as sweating, increased heart rate, breathlessness, and dilated pupils. These bodily reactions prepare the body to either combat the threat or run away from it – this is called the ‘ fight or flight ’ response.

In response to a threat, the sympathetic nervous system , part of the autonomic nervous system, is activated by the sudden release of hormones.

The sympathetic nervous system then stimulates the adrenal glands to trigger the release of hormones, resulting in physical reactions. These hormones are:

• Epinephrine (adrenaline) – Provides energy to the major muscles of the body so they can respond to a perceived threat.
• Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) – increases alertness, arousal, and attention. Connstricts blood vessels that help maintain blood pressure during times of stress.

Emotional Response

The emotional response to fear, however, is personalized to the individual. Since the biology of fear involves some of the same chemical responses to pleasant emotions , such as excitement and happiness, people can experience either pleasant or unpleasant emotions to fear.

For instance, some people may enjoy riding extreme roller coasters, while others may have a negative reaction and will avoid these at all costs.

Although the biochemical reaction for fear may be the same, some people will experience the intensity of fearful situations differently than others.

Symptoms and diagnosis

People can experience fear differently, but some of the common physical and emotional symptoms are:

• Rapid heart rate
• Upset stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling out of control
• A sense of impending death

For a condition associated with fear and anxiety to be diagnosed, the symptoms must be persistent, interfere with some part of normal functioning, and cannot be better explained by another condition.

If feelings of fear become persistent and excessive, this could be diagnosed as a type of anxiety disorder, depending on the symptoms being experienced.

Common disorders which are associated with fear are: phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, s ocial anxiety disorder , healthy anxiety disorder, panic disorder , and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Is fear useful?

In many situations, fear is normal and healthy in that it can keep us from entering harmful situations and help us decide when to get out of these situations.

The immediate threat of danger and the physical responses that come with it can help focus our attention and mobilize us to cope with the danger, but either fighting against it (fight) or running away from it (flight).

Fear may also help us to react to danger without having to think about it consciously.

For example, if a car is coming towards us, fear can make us jump out of the way and thus save our lives. Also, if humans have the capacity to notice fear in others since we recognize it in ourselves, we can offer compassion and reassurance to others to help them cope.

In contrast, extreme levels of fear could result in the development of mental health conditions such as phobias or other anxiety conditions. A phobia is an intense, persistent, and out of proportional fear of something, an event, or a situation.

Phobias twist the normal fear response into something difficult or impossible to control and can be detrimental to people’s lives. Likewise, other anxiety conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder , involve intense worry or fear of many things and social situations respectively.

The biochemical and emotional response to fear can be so extreme that it can negatively affect people’s lives. If fear gets too extreme, such as in those experiencing anxiety disorders, it can keep us trapped, preventing us from doing things we want.

Disorders That Involve Fear

Phobias may be diagnosed when certain situations, events, or objects create a strong, irrational fear. Some symptoms of phobias include:

A sensation of uncontrollable anxiety when exposed to the source of the fear.

The feeling that the source of the fear needs to be avoided at all costs.

Not being able to function properly when exposed to fear.

They may acknowledge that the fear is irrational and exaggerated, combined with the inability to control feelings of fear.

• Feeling incapable of coping with the fear.

Different types of phobias can be diagnosed: specific phobias, social phobias , and agoraphobia. Specific phobias are intense, irrational fears of a specific trigger.

Some common specific phobias are spiders and snakes. Social phobia is a profound fear of public humiliation or being judged negatively by others in social situations.

Agoraphobia is an intense fear of situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected panic episode. This could be a fear of enclosed spaces, as well as open or crowded spaces.

Specific phobias are known as simple phobias since they can usually be linked to an identifiable cause and are unlikely to affect daily living as the person can avoid the trigger.

For instance, if someone has a phobia of heights, they are not likely to experience this fear day-to-day, only in situations where they may have to face their fear.

Social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder) and agoraphobia, however, are known as complex phobias since their triggers are less easily recognizable or avoidable, and the individual is more likely to experience the associated fear more frequently than those with a specific phobia.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a mental health disorder that can develop in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as a serious accident, military combat, physical or sexual assault, or natural disaster.

One of the key symptoms of PTSD is experiencing intense fear, anxiety, or distress when confronted with reminders of the traumatic event, even if the present situation is not actually dangerous or threatening (Maren et al., 2013).

This fear response is thought to be related to the way the brain processes and encodes memories of the traumatic event. When someone experiences a traumatic event, the brain’s fear response is activated, causing the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

However, in people with PTSD, the brain’s fear response can become overactive and hyper-vigilant , causing them to perceive even minor cues in their environment as potential threats. For example, a veteran who experienced combat trauma might feel intense fear or panic when they hear a car backfire or fireworks, as these sounds could trigger memories of gunfire or explosions.

In essence, the fear response in people with PTSD is triggered by associations between present experiences and past traumatic events, rather than by a real and present danger.

These associations can be so strong that even subtle reminders of the trauma can trigger a full-blown fear response, leading to symptoms like panic attacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance behaviors.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Those who experience GAD typically have persistent and excessive worries about everyday life and worry about multiple things. They may be fearful about their health, finances, safety, and relationships, etc. to the point where it can become exhausting.

People with GAD tend to experience the physical symptoms associated with fear but more often and for more reasons.

Panic disorder

Panic disorder is characterized as fear and worries of the panic attacks experienced recurrently, which are sudden and intense feelings of terror.

These feelings could sometimes occur without warning and are associated with physical symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fast heart rate, and trembling.

Panic attacks could become very intense that impairs the individual functioning during the episode.

What Causes fear?

Specific phobias usually develop in childhood and, in some cases, can be pinpointed to an exact moment.

In some cases, specific phobias can result from an early traumatic experience with the feared object, event, or situation, such as a phobia of bicycles caused by a traumatic incident of falling off a bike as a child.

Phobias that start in childhood could also be caused by witnessing the phobia of a family member and developing the same phobia. For instance, if a parent has a phobia of spiders, the child may also learn to have a phobia of spiders.

Evolutionary theory of fear

Seligman (1971) applied his preparedness hypothesis theory to explain why humans fear. The preparedness hypothesis is the belief that humans tend to fear things that were a source of danger to our ancestors.

Seligman proposed that the fears of individuals diagnosed with phobias reflect the evolutionary prepared learning to fear events and situations that have provided survival threats.

He argued these threats would be from an evolutionary rather than a contemporary perspective.

This can explain why phobias such as threatening animals, heights, closed spaces, and social evaluations are very common and appear to be innate fears.

Contemporary fears such as bicycles, broken electrical equipment, and guns are less common as these would not have been survival threats to our ancestors.

The preparedness hypothesis suggests that humans can have innate responses to specific stimuli without any previous environment input.

This has been tested by scientists who found it was easier to train humans to fear snakes and spiders than friendly dogs of pillows, for instance.

This was especially true for very young children who appeared to fear snakes and spiders before encountering or hearing about them.

Fear conditioning

Pavlovian fear conditioning is a state of fear or anxiety that has been demonstrated in animals after repeated pairings of a threatening stimulus with a previously neutral stimulus using classical conditioning.

In experiments, the researchers would pair a neutral stimulus with an unpleasant stimulus – such as a loud noise or shock. After repeated pairing of these two stimuli, the neutral stimulus on its own would eventually elicit a state of fear.

This is another way in which intense fear could be caused. The fear expressed by the animals would be seen as essential for their survival in this instance.

This fear conditioning could be learned in humans who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very distressing, frightening, or traumatic events, causing individuals to relive them through symptoms of intense or prolonged psychological distress when triggered.

This includes marked physiological reactions such as exaggerated and unrelenting unconditioned responses to stimuli (e.g., crowds, flashes of light, or sounds) associated with trauma (e.g., death or injury).

PTSD can bring about feelings of intense fear when something specifically triggers it. Most of the time, the trigger will not be an actual threat to survival but is a conditioned stimulus for the individual.

This means they can experience intense feelings of fear at times when it is not appropriate.

The brain’s fear response

The primary brain region that is responsible for fear is the amygdala. The amygdala is a collection of nuclei in the limbic system.

Some main nuclei in the amygdala are the lateral, basal, central lateral, and central medical nuclei. The lateral nucleus is the primary input that receives input from the thalamus and the brain’s cortex, providing it with information about the sensory stimuli being experienced.

The primary output nucleus of the amygdala is the central medial nucleus which projects to different structures, such as the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, which triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

It also projects to the lateral hypothalamus to stimulate the autonomic nervous system , which results in the physiological symptoms associated with the fight or flight, or fear, response.

The amygdala is also thought to be the brain area responsible for fear conditioning. In rats, it was found that an unconditioned stimulus , such as a shock, is picked up by the spinal cord, which sends this signal to the thalamus and the cortex, which then both project to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala.

The synaptic inputs from the unconditioned stimulus are strong enough to excite the lateral amygdala neurons, activating the neurons in the central medial nucleus and thus produces a fear response.

Sensory information from a neutral stimulus (e.g., music) also reaches the thalamus and cortex.

Still, the inputs from this stimulus are not strong enough on their own to excite the lateral amygdala neurons , so the central amygdala neurons remain unstimulated, and there is no fear response.

However, if the neutral stimulus (music) is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (shock), neurons can encode both simultaneously.

This can strengthen the synapse between incoming neurons carrying information about the neutral stimulus and the lateral amygdala neurons.

Eventually, this synapse is strengthened enough to allow them to stimulate the lateral amygdala neurons on their own without the unconditioned stimulus. The lateral nucleus will then excite the central medial nucleus to produce the fear response.

The hippocampus , which plays a role in storing episodic memories, can also interact with the amygdala and be involved in fear.

The neurons from the hippocampus can project to the basal nucleus of the amygdala, which can then stimulate the central medial nucleus.

Because it can do this, the hippocampus allows contextual-related memories to respond to fear. This could be why we can have fearful memories and why they are so strong.

What does the research say?

There are suggested to be sex differences in amygdala activation.

A study that used the brain imaging technique of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) found that when presented with happy facial expressions, there was greater activation in the right amygdala for males but not for females.

Both males and females showed greater left amygdala activation for fearful faces, which supports that the left may be more involved in negative affect (Killgore & Yurgelun-Todd, 2001).

Other researchers have found that the volumes of brain regions involved in fear may differ for those who have experienced more trauma.

Using MRI on children who experienced trauma, research found reduced hippocampal and increased amygdala volume with increasing levels of trauma exposure. Higher exposure to violence was also associated with increased amygdala activation.

Finally, increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the brain stem was associated with higher levels of exposure to violence (Van Rooij, et al., 2020).

How to Overcome and Manage Fear

Treatment for disorders associated with fear varies depending on the type of disorder and the symptoms experienced.

Often, phobias treatments can be used for disorders associated with extreme fear. Some of these treatment options will be explained below:

Graded Exposure Therapy

A common therapy for people with extreme fears is graded exposure therapy . This involves gradually leading the individual through exposure situations commonly used for those with specific phobias.

The aim is to gradually expose the individual to the fear object or situation in small steps until they feel comfortable and can move on to a higher level of exposure until they eventually can face their fear.

For instance, if someone has a phobia of spiders, the steps may go as follows:

Talking to the therapist about spiders

See pictures of spiders – this could start off as drawings and gradually get more realistic until the patient can manage to view a photo of one.

The patient may be encouraged to watch video footage of a spider

The patient could handle a toy spider

Eventually, the patient should get to a stage where they can face a real spider.

The steps taken to complete the therapy may take a long time, depending on how strong the fear is and the individual’s capability to cope.

Once the individual feels like they can manage their fear at each step, they can move on to the next step until they gradually become desensitized to their fear.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT can help tackle negative and unrealistic thoughts regarding intense fear.

The individual can work with the therapist to work through their fears, form more realistic thoughts, challenge their fearful thoughts, and learn coping strategies.

CBT allows people to learn different ways of understanding and reacting to the source of their fear and can help teach a person to manage their feelings and thoughts.

Some medications can be useful to aid with the symptoms of extreme fear.

Medication should only be used as a short-term treatment for phobias because the medication can become part of safety behaviors for the individual to rely on when facing fearful situations.

This can prevent the individual from fully exposing themselves to the fear and not achieving desensitization eventually.

Below are some medications that can be used for phobias:

Beta-blockers – these work to reduce the physical symptoms of fear by lowering stress on the heart and blood vessels. These block the release of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine to prevent the fight or flight response from being triggered.

However, these can come with some side effects: insomnia, fatigue, and upset stomach.

Benzodiazepines – tranquilizers are a type of this medication. This helps reduce anxiety symptoms and has a sedative effect on the individual, meaning they slow down the body and brain function.

These medications can be taken when required but have been known to cause a dependency and can have withdrawal effects that could be life-threatening.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – these medications are a type of antidepressant and are commonly prescribed for phobias.

SSRIs affect serotonin levels in the brain and so can produce better moods in individuals. Side effects of these medications include nausea, sleep problems, and headaches.

Other coping methods

Relaxation techniques can be used to help people calm down. These can include meditation and breath retraining exercises to help treat the symptoms of fear, especially when faced with a fearful situation.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique where an individual purposely tenses a muscle group for a few seconds and then releases it. The idea is that the release of the muscles should decrease any build-up tension.

Working through all the muscle groups this way can encourage the whole body to feel relaxed and reduce the fear response. Likewise, yoga can prove a useful method for reducing the fear response.

Combining physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation in yoga can all help people improve their management of anxiety disorders and fear.

Finally, exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, can positively affect stress and anxiety and may decrease the fear response symptoms.

Killgore, W. D., & Yurgelun-Todd, D. A. (2001). Sex differences in amygdala activation during the perception of facial affect. Neuroreport, 12(11), 2543-2547.

Maren, S., Phan, K. L., & Liberzon, I. (2013). The contextual brain: implications for fear conditioning, extinction and psychopathology.  Nature reviews neuroscience ,  14 (6), 417-428.

Öhman, A. (2009). Of snakes and faces: An evolutionary perspective on the psychology of fear. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 50(6), 543-552.

Rádlová, S., Polák, J., Janovcová, M., Sedláčková, K., Peléšková, Š., Landová, E., & Frynta, D. (2020). Emotional reaction to fear-and disgust-evoking snakes: sensitivity and propensity in snake-fearful respondents. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 31.

Seligman, M. E. (1971). Phobias and preparedness. Behavior therapy, 2(3), 307-320.

Steimer, T. (2002). The biology of fear-and anxiety-related behaviors. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 4(3), 231.

van Rooij, S. J., Smith, R. D., Stenson, A. F., Ely, T. D., Yang, X., Tottenham, N., Stevens, J. S. & Jovanovic, T. (2020). Increased activation of the fear neurocircuitry in children exposed to violence. Depression and anxiety, 37(4), 303-312.

Further Reading

• Kozlowska, K., Walker, P., McLean, L., & Carrive, P. (2015). Fear and the defense cascade: clinical implications and management. Harvard review of psychiatry.
• Adolphs, R. (2013). The biology of fear. Current biology, 23(2), R79-R93.
• LeDoux, J. E. (2014). Coming to terms with fear. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(8), 2871-2878.
• LeDoux, J. E., & Pine, D. S. (2016). Using neuroscience to help understand fear and anxiety: a two-system framework. American journal of psychiatry.

Is fear an emotion?

Yes, fear is a basic emotion that is triggered as a response to perceived threats. It is a survival mechanism that prompts action to protect oneself from danger. Fear can cause physiological changes like increased heart rate, and it can also influence thoughts and behaviors.

How do people perceive fear differently?

People perceive fear differently due to personal experiences, genetic predispositions, cultural norms, and mental health conditions. For some, a situation may trigger intense fear, while others may feel excitement or curiosity in the same situation. People’s coping strategies and resilience significantly influence their responses to fear-inducing situations.

What causes fear?

A perceived threat or danger causes fear. This can be a response to something immediate and obvious, such as coming face-to-face with a dangerous animal, or something more abstract, like a fear of losing one’s job. The brain’s amygdala plays a key role in processing fear by sending signals that trigger the fight-or-flight response. Fear can also be learned through personal experiences or by observing others.

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Detailed Guide for Overcoming your Fear of Public Speaking

February 16, 2021 - Dom Barnard

Public speaking is a common form of anxiety and fear. Over 75% of people experience some degree of anxiety or nervousness when it comes to speaking in front of others.

People who have been surveyed commonly rank this fear above spiders, heights and death. So the first thing to remember is that your fear is totally normal.

It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic, with more extreme fear known as glossophobia. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice.

But with preparation and experience, you can overcome your fear.

Sections in this article:

Glossophobia: more than a common fear of speaking, what fear does to us during a speech, verbal communication is essential for your career, why do we have this fear.

• Video: Tips to overcome anxiety

8 tips to overcome your fear of public speaking

What to do before and after the event.

• The cure for insecurity is preparation

Speaking Up without Freaking Out  webinar , with Matt Abrahams, Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Most of us have experienced some sort of fear when speaking in public. However, a person with glossophobia is unable to control their nerves and has an extremely strong fear of public speaking, sometimes to the point of a nervous breakdown.

With this can come uncontrollable trembling, sweating, and a racing heartbeat.

This anxiety may not be confined to speaking to large audiences – people suffering with glossophobia may struggle to speak in a meeting, classroom and other smaller group settings.

This can make it very difficult for sufferers to communicate verbally in order to express their ideas and thoughts. As a result, glossophobia may hamper the sufferer’s ability to further his or her academic, social or career opportunities.

• Read more:  What is Glossophobia and How to Overcome it

Being nervous during a public speaking event affects the way we come across to an audience and the quality of our delivery. Nervous speakers tend to  talk too quickly  and generally  ignore the audience , focussing instead on their presentation slides or the floor.

They  talk in a flat voice , with little excitement or vocal pitch variation, and they try to get through the experience without committing to the speech or presentation.

Talk too quickly and in a monotone

Rushing through a talk requires that you talk fast, and talking fast interferes with your breathing. Instead of breathing comfortably, you breathe in a short, shallow manner, or you might even hold your breath.

This gives you the sensation of running out of air and being unable to breathe, a common fear in this situation, and one that greatly increases fear of public speaking.

Talking quickly reduces the chance the audience can enjoy your speech. It creates a barrier between you and them, as they might struggle to understand what you are saying.

Here are some common issues with talking too quickly:

• You won’t be breathing deeply enough to fill your lungs with air
• You’ll sound monotone due to lack of vocal range and air in your lungs
• You’ll sound nervous to the audience
• The audience will struggle to understand what you are saying

Remember, the human voice is in theory capable of paying 24 notes on the musical scale. Most people only use 3 in their everyday speech so if you can incorporate more then you’re already well on your way to becoming an interesting and engaging public speaker.

• Read more about how to  Use your Vocal Toolbox

Ignore the audience and avoid eye contact

Fearful speakers often try to ignore the audience, hoping this will decrease their speech anxiety. For instance, lots of speakers  avoid eye contact  with the audience. This prevents you from noticing any audience reactions. You won’t notice when people seem more interested, or have questions.

When you have no audience contact, you focus on your own thoughts. And if you’re a nervous speaker, your thoughts are virtually guaranteed to be far more negative, and unrealistic, than anything your audience might think or say.

Fight to hide your fear

Finally, efforts to hide your fear create the additional fear of being “found out” as a nervous person. This only adds to the public speaking anxiety you already experience.

It has another negative side effect. After you’ve given a speech, even if it has gone well, you may not feel like it was a success because you think: “If the audience knew how afraid I was, they’d think less of the presentation.

Despite many people fearing speaking in public,  communication skills are essential in the workplace :

83% of human resource directors saying employees who couldn’t develop social skills would not  become high performers .

So, if you manage to overcome your fear of public speaking, this is a brilliant skill for your resume and you’ll be able to accelerate more quickly in your career, as well as be more confident in your personal life.

The core of being a great public speaker lies predominantly in one thing:  confidence .

GMAT study on skills companies demand in new graduate business school hires.

Let’s discuss how this fear comes about and why so many of us fear speaking in public. Understanding the root cause will hopefully help you deal with it better.

In the book, “Confessions of a Public Speaker” by  Scott Berkun , he suggests that our brains identify the following four conditions as extremely bad for survival:

• Standing alone
• In an open territory with no place to hide
• Being without a weapon
• In front of a large crowd who are staring at you

These conditions made sense during the early years of humans. Being alone, or without a weapon for example, could have been very dangerous with wild animals and other fierce tribes nearby.

There conditions happen to all be experienced during public speaking. You’re often alone on a stage, open to the audience who are looking at you, without a weapon and with nowhere to hide (assuming you don’t hide behind your laptop).

So what exactly can you do to gradually overcome the fear of public speaking? Here are key tips that you can apply before, during and after the speech.

Videos: Tips to overcome public speaking anxiety

Speech anxiety tips:

Watch 10 anxiety management tips to use when giving a presentation.  Matt Abrahams  talks us through these tips and explains how best to deal with your fear of public speaking.

Learn more about  practice in virtual reality (VR) .

1. Practice aloud

This is the most important point – you need to practice, over and over again. You can practice in front of friends or family for feedback, join your local  Toastmasters club  or use a virtual reality (VR) app. VR apps are highly effective at tricking the brain into thinking the audience in the app is real.

Methods of practicing aloud:

• Join a local Toastmasters club
• Give a  speech in virtual reality
• Present to a friend or colleague
• Practice with a mirror (ideally full length)
• Practice in a  video conferencing simulator

This is a great way of bridging the gap between practicing in front of a mirror to practicing in front of a group of people (something that you might avoid altogether depending on your fear of public speaking).

Grow your confidence with  interactive practice exercises , on skills such as public speaking, impromptu speaking, giving feedback, and more.

2. Remember why you’re there

Usually you are on stage because people value your expertise and knowledge – or at the very least, whoever has put you there has confidence in your capability. You might be speaking about a recent publication, or a branch of research you successfully tested.

Use this thought to try and relax – people aren’t there to give you a hard time. In fact, most people are probably just grateful it’s you speaking on stage and not them!

To ensure you connect with your audience, you need to plan your speech accordingly. For example,  don’t use jargon or acronyms  if your audience is from a different industry to yours. Keep your language and your slides as simple as possible.

3. Have a script, but don’t memorise it

What are people most afraid of? Forgetting what to say in front of hundreds of people. Even the most  notable public speakers  in history have used scripts, forgotten what they were going to say, and then panicked. The fear of public speaking can consume all we think about.

This might seem really daunting at first and will increase your anxiety levels just thinking about not having the safety of a script. However, remember that when you have a script you tend to either read from it (and therefore lose your connection with the audience) or you memorise it word for word.

The problem with the second method is that if you lose your place, you’ll panic, stumble, and not know what to say next.

A better approach is to make your script into a series of bullet points or, better yet, a list of themes or connecting sentences on a cue card. This will make the speech sounds more authentic and less rehearsed, and you’ll be more likely to show your passion for your topic when speaking from your heart rather than your head.

Method for going from a topic to a speech

Start with a rough outline of the topic you want to talk about. Type up this outline in a conversational style and read it aloud several times to yourself. When certain parts of the speech don’t sound right, correct the outline accordingly.

As you keep rehearsing, try to use your written outline less and less. Highlight certain keywords and phrases you need to mention and add those to cue cards or something similar.

Now start practicing with just the cue cards as you would when speaking at an actual event. On the day of the event, keep the cue cards as backup, maybe next to your laptop, and you’ll be able to speak much more naturally than if you had rehearsed from a script.

4. Don’t rely on technology

If there was something more nerve wracking than forgetting the lines of your speech, it would be for a live  demo to fail . It is a horrible, gut wrenching feeling.

One way to have more confidence and reduce your fear of public speaking on the day is to make sure you have a backup such as a video showing of your presentation or a second method of presentation.

Make sure you’re prepared for technology breaking, including your slides or videos not loading.

For example, if you’re using PowerPoint software and the computer or projector isn’t working, it can be handy to have printed out the presentation for the audience (and yourself if you need it).

Similarly, you should import your presentation offline so that if the internet doesn’t work, you can still present without becoming flustered.

What can go wrong with technology during a speech:

• Embedded videos might not play or have no sound
• The presentation pointer / clicker may stop responding
• Projector doesn’t link to your laptop
• Any live demo may fail (an example being the face recognition for the iPhone X demo)

5. Know your audience

The type of audience you’ll be facing affects your choice of language, humour, opening sentences, length and many more. There are several ways to understand the audience you’re speaking to:

• Research the event using their social media and blog posts
• Learn about the other speakers (if it’s a conference) and the types of presentations they are giving
• Greet audience members when they enter the room and ask them a few questions about their background, expertise, what they expect etc.
• Find out the size of the audience (this may determine the structure of your speech, including where to do the question and answer session, whether to include humour etc.)

Once you understand your audience, you’ll feel more confident about the questions and answers session at the end and that you are delivering a speech the audience actually want to hear.

• How to Analyse your Audience before a Presentation
• Guide to Choosing a Successful Speech Topic

6. Pause and take deep breaths

This simple advice cannot be emphasized enough. When you’re nervous, you breathe rapidly and shallowly. This is telling the audience that you’re not confident. Slow and measured breathing is a sign that you’re in control.

Before you go to the front of the room, concentrate on taking a few slow breaths. Repeat this several times. When you start to speak, remember to pause and breathe after you make a point.

It’s important to remember that there is nothing wrong with a bit of silence during a speech. It can actually be a good thing and bring emphasis to what you’ve just said. Be aware that on stage, pausing for just a few seconds can seem like a very long time – resist the urge to break the silence for at least 3 seconds.

• 10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

7. Create backup slides for audience questions

One reason people often experience anxiety before a presentation is the fear that they’ll be asked questions that might be difficult to answer. Don’t get caught off guard.

Think carefully about  potential questions  that might arise and rehearse the answers. Go one step further by creating slides for some potential questions about complex issues.

You can include in your extra slides important information, numbers, stats or even an interesting graph or pie chart that would be helpful to the audience. If such a question arises, it’s okay to say, “I thought I might be asked this question and I’ve got a slide which explains it well…”

8. Focus on the beginning and ending

Your opening sets the tone for your speech and your closing is what you will leave your audience with. You’ll have a few seconds when you start to capture the attention of the audience and prevent them returning to their mobiles.

So you need to make it good. Try starting with an attention grabbing statement, statistic or interesting quote.

• How to Start a Presentation Effectively

The ending brings the presentation to full circle and is when your audience’s attention peaks again. This may be one of the few sections they remember so it’s important you get it right.

• Different Ways to End a Presentation or Speech

Rather than leaving the opening and ending to chance, write and practice them over and over again. What you can do is memorize certain sentences or phrases you think are key to your speech and note down bullet points of other information you want to include in these sections.

Video: How I Overcame My Fear of Public Speaking

In this talk, Danish Dhamani discusses how overcoming your fear of public speaking is key to leading a fulfilling life and unlocking your true potential.

Before the public speaking event

Use these tips to help deal with your fear before an event:

• Greet audience members as they enter the room you’ll be presenting in. Knowing a few of them before you start will ensure you have a few friendly faces you can look at during the presentation
• Do the breathing exercises detailed below this section to slow down your heartrate
• Check that your slides and laptop are working with the projector
• Drink some water to prevent a dry mouth
• Perform some vocal exercises to  warm up your voice before a speech

After the public speaking event

It’s a good idea to reflect on your speech afterwards. Dale Carnegie once said about public speaking, “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practised, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”

For that speech you wish you gave, this is why you need to invest some time to reflect in your performance. Be honest with yourself on three points – what was good about your speech, what didn’t work about your speech and what could have been improved?

If you have trusted friends who were part of your audience, run through these questions with them to obtain a better and more diverse perspective.

Better still, record all your speeches and review them personally. Yes, it can be painful and you will probably cringe while watching yourself on video or listening back to an audio recording. But this process is absolutely necessary for you to become a better speaker and one who is committed to overcoming their fears of speaking.

The cure for insecurity is preparation and experience

The key to overcoming your fear of public speaking is preparation and experience. Solid preparation will leave you feeling more confident in your ability as an excellent public speaker, able to deliver a clear, engaging speech.

Experience will help you become more comfortable with the whole experience and stop you dreading that presentation. You’ll need to get out there and speak in public a few times, so join a local Toastmasters, volunteer to speak at a conference, practice in virtual reality or try any other method of overcoming your fear of public speaking.

• See our top rated  public speaking courses  to help you improve your speaking skills.

Summary of tips

• Prepare by practicing aloud
• Remember why you were chosen to speak
• Don’t memorise a script word for word
• Don’t reply on technology, practice without it if possible
• Know your audience
• Pause and take deep breaths
• Create backup slides for audience questions
• Focus on the beginning and ending of your speech

Note:  If these tips are ineffective despite repeated attempts, you may need to look further into the causes of your anxiety and consider seeking medical advice. See the  NHS website  for more information on treatments.

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How to Overcome Fear, Build Confidence, and Deliver Impactful Presentations

Public speaking can be a daunting task for many. The mere thought of standing in front of a crowd and delivering a speech can send shivers down the spine. However, with the right approach and mindset, you can conquer this fear and transform it into a strength. This guide will provide you with a roadmap to overcoming your fear of public speaking.

Understanding the Fear

The fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, often stems from past negative experiences or the fear of being judged. It's essential to acknowledge this fear as the first step towards overcoming it. By understanding the root cause, you can start to address it and work towards building confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome.

Steps to Overcome the Fear

Acknowledge the fear.

Recognising your fear of public speaking is the first step towards overcoming it. It's okay to be nervous. Even the most experienced speakers feel a certain level of anxiety before a presentation. The key lies in harnessing this nervous energy and using it to your advantage.

Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience can significantly reduce your anxiety. Research about their interests, their knowledge level about the topic, and what they expect from your presentation. This will help you tailor your speech to their needs and expectations, making it more engaging and effective.

Master Your Content

Confidence in public speaking comes from knowing your material inside out. Spend time researching your topic, understanding the key points, and anticipating possible questions. This will not only boost your confidence but also help you deliver a more impactful presentation.

Practice Regularly

Practice makes perfect. Regular practice can help you become more familiar with your content, improve your delivery, and reduce anxiety. Try practising in front of a mirror, recording yourself, or presenting to a small group of friends or family.

Use Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or visualisation can help reduce anxiety and promote calmness. Use these techniques before and during your presentation to keep your nerves in check.

The Importance of Effective Public Speaking in Professional Settings

Public speaking plays a crucial role in professional settings. It's not just about delivering presentations or speeches; it's about confidently communicating your ideas, influencing others, and making an impact. This section explores why public speaking skills are essential for career advancement and promotion.

Role of Public Speaking in Career Advancement

Effective public speaking can be a career booster . It can help you stand out in meetings, influence decisions, and demonstrate leadership potential. Whether you're introducing yourself in meetings, pitching an idea to your team, or speaking at a conference, your ability to communicate effectively can open doors to new opportunities.

Impact on Professional Relationships

Public speaking skills can also improve your professional relationships. By clearly and confidently communicating your thoughts and ideas, you can build trust, earn respect, and foster stronger relationships with your colleagues, clients, and superiors.

Boosting Personal Confidence

Mastering public speaking can significantly boost your personal confidence. It can empower you to voice your opinions, share your ideas, and contribute more effectively to discussions and meetings.

How Training Can Help You Conquer Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety can be a significant barrier to effective communication. However, with the right training, you can overcome this fear and become a confident speaker. This section explores how public speaking training can help you conquer your anxiety and develop essential presentation skills.

Overview of Training Programs

Public speaking training programs are designed to help individuals overcome their fear of public speaking and develop confident communication skills. These programs typically cover a range of topics, including understanding your audience, structuring your speech, using visual aids effectively, and managing anxiety.

Addressing Public Speaking Anxiety

One of the key focuses of public speaking training is managing anxiety. Through various techniques such as relaxation exercises, cognitive restructuring, and exposure therapy, these programs can help you manage your fear and anxiety, enabling you to deliver your speeches with confidence.

Benefits of Training for Public Speaking

Public speaking training can provide numerous benefits. It can help you develop essential presentation skills, build confidence, and improve your overall communication skills. Moreover, it can also enhance your career prospects by enabling you to effectively present your ideas, influence others, and demonstrate leadership potential.

Top 10 Tips for Becoming a Confident Public Speaker

Public speaking can be a daunting task, but with the right strategies, you can transform this fear into a strength. Here are ten tips that can help you become a confident public speaker.

Knowing your audience can significantly reduce your anxiety. Research their interests, their knowledge level about the topic, and what they expect from your presentation. This will help you tailor your speech to their needs and expectations, making it more engaging and effective.

Use Positive Visualisation

Visualise yourself delivering a successful speech. This technique can help reduce anxiety and increase confidence. Imagine the audience clapping and appreciating your speech. Positive visualisation can be a powerful tool for building confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome.

Control Your Body Language

Your body language can communicate confidence. Stand tall, make eye contact, and use gestures to emphasise your points. A confident posture can not only make you appear more confident but also make you feel more confident.

Use Pauses Effectively

Don't rush through your speech. Use pauses to emphasise key points and give your audience time to absorb the information. Pauses can also give you a moment to gather your thoughts and control your pace.

Engage with Your Audience

Engage your audience by asking questions, encouraging participation, or sharing personal stories. This can make your speech more interactive and engaging, and help you build a connection with your audience.

Handle Mistakes Gracefully

Everyone makes mistakes. If you stumble or forget a point, don't panic. Take a moment, gather your thoughts, and continue with your speech. Remember, it's not about being perfect, it's about effectively communicating your message.

Seek Feedback and Improve

Feedback is a valuable tool for improvement. Seek feedback from trusted friends, colleagues, or mentors, and use it to improve your public speaking skills. Remember, improvement is a continuous process.

Keep Learning and Evolving

Public speaking is a skill that can always be improved. Keep learning new techniques, exploring different styles, and challenging yourself. This will help you grow as a speaker and keep your speeches fresh and engaging.

The Benefits of Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking

Overcoming your fear of public speaking can have numerous benefits. From boosting your confidence to enhancing your career prospects, here are ten benefits of conquering this fear.

Improved Self-Confidence

Overcoming your fear of public speaking can significantly boost your self-confidence. It can empower you to voice your opinions, share your ideas, and contribute more effectively to discussions and meetings.

Enhanced Career Opportunities

Effective public speaking can open doors to new career opportunities. It can help you stand out in meetings, influence decisions, and demonstrate leadership potential.

Better Interpersonal Communication

Public speaking skills can improve your interpersonal communication. You can become more effective in expressing your thoughts and ideas, and build stronger relationships with colleagues, clients, and superiors.

Increased Personal Satisfaction

Mastering public speaking can bring a sense of personal satisfaction. It can help you overcome a significant challenge and achieve a personal goal.

Greater Influence and Leadership Potential

Effective public speaking can enhance your influence and leadership potential. It can enable you to inspire and motivate others, and lead teams and projects more effectively.

Enhanced Ability to Advocate for Oneself and Others

Public speaking skills can empower you to advocate for yourself and others. You can become more effective in standing up for your rights and the rights of others.

Improved Critical Thinking Skills

Public speaking requires clear, logical thinking. This can help improve your critical thinking skills, which are valuable in many areas of life.

Greater Resilience in the Face of Challenges

Overcoming your fear of public speaking can make you more resilient. It can show you that you can face and overcome challenges, which can boost your confidence in handling other challenges in life.

Enhanced Ability to Inspire and Motivate Others

Effective public speaking can enable you to inspire and motivate others. You can share your ideas and experiences in a way that inspires others to take action or change their perspective.

Increased Personal Growth and Self-Awareness

The process of overcoming your fear of public speaking can lead to personal growth and increased self-awareness. It can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, and learn how to manage your emotions and reactions.

How to Prepare for a Public Speaking Event: A Step-by-Step Guide

Preparing for a public speaking event can be a daunting task. However, with the right approach and preparation, you can deliver a successful speech. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you prepare for a public speaking event.

Knowing your audience is the first step in preparing for a public speaking event. Research their interests, their knowledge level about the topic, and what they expect from your presentation. This will help you tailor your speech to their needs and expectations.

Define Your Objective

What do you want to achieve with your speech? Do you want to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain your audience? Defining your objective can help you structure your speech and deliver a more effective presentation .

Research Your Topic Thoroughly

Spend time researching your topic. Understand the key points, anticipate possible questions, and gather relevant facts and statistics. This will not only boost your confidence but also help you deliver a more impactful presentation.

Create a Compelling Introduction

The introduction is your chance to grab your audience's attention and set the tone for your speech. Start with a compelling fact, a thought-provoking question, or a personal story to engage your audience from the start.

Structure Your Speech Effectively

A well-structured speech is easier to follow and more engaging. Organise your speech into clear sections, each with a key point and supporting information. Use transitions to guide your audience from one point to the next.

Use Visual Aids Where Appropriate

Visual aids can enhance your presentation and make your points more memorable. Use slides, charts, images, or props to support your points and engage your audience.

Practice Your Speech

Practice makes perfect. Rehearse your speech several times to become more familiar with your content, improve your delivery, and reduce anxiety.

Prepare for Potential Questions

Anticipate possible questions from your audience and prepare your answers. This can help you feel more confident during the question and answer session.

Plan Your Attire and Logistics

Plan what you will wear and check the logistics for the day. Make sure you know the location, the time, and the technical requirements for your presentation.

Relax and Visualise Success

Finally, take some time to relax and visualise your success. Use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or visualisation to reduce anxiety and boost your confidence.

Overcoming the fear of public speaking can seem like a daunting task, but with the right strategies and mindset, it's entirely achievable. By understanding your fear, taking steps to overcome it, and recognising the importance of effective public speaking, you can transform this fear into a strength. The tips and techniques provided in this guide can help you become a more confident and effective public speaker, opening doors to new opportunities and career advancement.

Remember, public speaking is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. So, don't let fear hold you back. Start your journey towards confident communication today and unlock your full potential.

If you need further guidance or support in your public speaking journey, don't hesitate to get in touch with Fearless . Our team of experts is here to help you every step of the way, providing worldclass communication skills training tailored to your specific needs. Let Fearless be your partner in overcoming your fear of public speaking and achieving success.

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Don’t Let Anxiety Sabotage Your Next Presentation

• Riaz Meghji

Stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on your audience.

If you want to beat speaking anxiety, you need to stop focusing on yourself and point your focus outward. This shift isn’t something that can happen instantaneously. It takes time, patience, and practice. Here’s how to get started.

• Be a giver, not a taker. Takers tend to have more anxiety. They want and need validation from their listeners.
• Givers, on the other hand, are all about service. They do work beforehand to connect with stakeholders and use the information they receive to address the needs of their audience. As a result, their presentation becomes less about them and more about helping the other people in the room.
• If you want to turn your presentation into an act of service, you need to talk to the people in the room — well before your presentation begins.
• Choose about three to five influential leaders, and meet with them before to learn their concerns and goals surrounding the topic you’re presenting on.
• Then, incorporate your findings into you presentation. This will help you shift your focus outwards, from yourself to the audience, and as a result, ease some of your nerves.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

How many times have you had an important message to share, only to be sabotaged by anxiety right before you speak?

• RM Riaz Meghji is a human connection keynote speaker, author of Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships and creator of The Magnetic Presenter speaker coaching program. He is also an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television hosting experience. Riaz has hosted for Citytv’s Breakfast Television, MTV Canada, TEDxVancouver, CTV News, and the Toronto International Film Festival.  

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Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking: 7 Proven Strategies

Are you hearing your heart thump in your chest as you imagine getting up in front of hundreds of strangers to give a speech?

Do you suddenly feel like your throat is in a vice grip every time you think about speaking in public?

If so, you’re definitely not alone in your fear of public speaking. In fact, it’s one of the top fears in the world. But the countless possibilities in life that could be opened up if you could conquer your fear of public speaking are worth the effort. It’s just a matter of finding the right strategy to make it happen. That’s why we’re here today.

In this blog post, we’re going to explore seven of the most proven strategies people have used to successfully conquer their fear of public speaking, no matter how petrified they were at the outset.

So buckle up and get ready, because together, we’re about to take a deep dive into the world of public-speaking fear-conquering. Let’s do this!

Quick Explanation

Everyone feels nervous when speaking in public , but facing your fear is the most effective way to overcome it.

Practicing your presentation in front of small groups or individuals and developing healthy strategies for dealing with anxiety can help you feel prepared and confident when delivering a speech.

An Overview of Fear of Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking, also known as oratory anxiety and glossophobia, is a common psychological phobia characterized by intense feelings of dread, nervousness, and anxiety when facing a crowd.

It is estimated that at least 75% of people experience some type of speech anxiety when addressing an audience, making it one of the most common anxieties worldwide. The effects of fear of public speaking can manifest in physical symptoms including rapid heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing, nausea, muscle tension, and even panic attacks. In more severe cases, it can lead to full paralysis.

Mental distress such as feeling overwhelmed and unable to control one’s thoughts are equally debilitating. Due to its prevalence, many debate whether fear of public speaking should be classified as an official medical condition.

Supporters argue that this fear is often rooted in deeper psychiatric issues and thus may require immoderate treatments like psychotherapy.

Others contend that the current term itself is too generic for diagnosis purposes. They suggest that the diagnosis ought to be further deconstructed into different types of fears such as those stemming from poor performance anxiety or inadequate preparation. While reasonable arguments can be made on both sides, it is clear that the fear of public speaking cannot be easily overlooked due its potential to impact quality of life negatively.

Regardless of whether it meets the standard for clinical diagnosis or not, individuals with speech anxiety should still seek professional treatment if necessary. The next section will delve into what causes fear of public speaking to better understand methods for tackling these uncomfortable emotions.

What Causes Fear of Public Speaking?

Fear of public speaking is a common problem that affects many people.

Whether giving presentations to coworkers, leading important meetings, or delivering lectures in front of large crowds, this fear can be debilitating and make it difficult for individuals to succeed in their professional roles. 

But what actually causes fear of public speaking? One argument is that the fear is learned and arises out of social conditioning. An innate fear of potential embarrassment or criticism from one's peer group can lead individuals to avoid public speaking situations entirely.

It could also be argued that fear of public speaking stems from a deeper sense of insecurity or lack of self-confidence.

If an individual does not feel capable or prepared enough to fulfill their role in these situations then they may become overwhelmed with anxiety and dread when called upon to speak publicly. Another argument is that the fear may have biological roots and is interconnected with our innate fight or flight response.

Speaking in public can create a sense of vulnerability which triggers the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline within our bodies, causing us to become overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety and terror. Though there are different theories on what causes fear of public speaking, it’s clear that many people suffer from this condition.

Luckily, there are methods and strategies to help overcome this fear. The next section will provide guidance on how to conquer your fear of public speaking through proven techniques and strategies .

How to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking

Fear of public speaking can be a challenging problem to overcome, but it is not impossible. There are several strategies and tactics to help individuals conquer their fears, resulting in more confident and successful public speaking engagements .

In order to successfully rid yourself of this fear, you must first understand the root cause of it. You may find comfort in realizing that public speaking is a shared fear among many people. It is not something that you have to suffer through alone; therefore you still can find ways to communicate with an audience confidently even if your fear persists. 

Understanding the physical symptoms associated with the fear can also be beneficial; such as quickly beating heart rate, dizziness, and stuck or blocked thoughts.

Becoming aware of these symptoms can provide an indication that anxiety is mounting prior to giving a speech so that appropriate steps may be taken. It’s important to learn proper speech preparation techniques in order to achieve both mental and physical relaxation prior to engaging with your audience.

Proper breathing exercises before and during your speech while standing tall, maintaining eye contact and projecting your voice can all help alleviate stress levels.

Additionally, practicing the speech out loud with family and friends or recording yourself delivering it can help gain confidence and familiarity which will reduce anxiety levels significantly.

Knowing your material well is another important step in conquering the fear: having confidence that you know what to say allows for more spontaneous delivery which will grab and keep people’s attention better than a memorized script can. Indeed, while public speaking is still considered one of the scariest tasks by many people, achievable successes are possible given that the right preparation and practice takes place before the event.

With hard work, determination, positive thinking and mindful preparation strategies in place, the fear of public speaking can become manageable over time. Now that we understand how to overcome fear of public speaking, let's discuss tips for successful public speaking which will result in captivating your audience for maximum impact.

Tips for Successful Public Speaking

Public speaking is a skill that, with practice and the right strategies, can be mastered. Utilizing techniques to boost confidence in public speaking can increase the chances of successful delivery of one’s message.

There are many tips for successful public speaking that can help people overcome their fear and give an impressive presentation. Research is a key part of preparing for a presentation . Taking the time to learn a topic thoroughly will enable the presenter to make well-informed statements during the speech.

This knowledge will also lead to more confidence while on stage, allowing the speaker to focus on engaging their audience rather than worrying about instantaneous recall of facts. Practicing the presentation beforehand is important in order to become comfortable with the material. Going through a couple of complete run-throughs will help build familiarity with the content, including how it needs to sound when spoken aloud.

This practice period also allows speakers to determine breaks in between topics and decide which parts need more emphasis or questions from the audience. Thus, practicing helps reduce anxiety so that speakers can present confidently without panic or hesitation. Along with these two fundamentals, there are other actions that can further enhance successful public speaking such as selecting attractive visuals and using an appropriate style of delivery .

Visuals can be helpful tools if used correctly and add contrast and emotion to presentations, especially if they create movement or tie directly into each point being made by the speaker.

Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to tone, speed and pauses while delivering a speech; this will keep listener’s attention and prevent talking too fast or slow, as well as allowing rests for absorbing information and transitioning effectively between ideas. Finally, leaving time at the end for questions is beneficial because engaging your listeners establishes relationship.

Not only does it show respect towards those listening but provides an opportunity for them to understand points further more and provide feedback. Asking questions throughout activates their attention span and allows some sort of personal connection while they contemplate possible responses. Overall, these simple tips will ensure successful public speaking by building confidence in oneself prior to presenting and executing strong visuals, vocal tone variation and classroom interactions during that same session.

With these methods in mind plus enough research and practice preceding a speech, anyone should feel prepared for any kind of talking engagement that comes their way.

As preparation is essential for good results in terms of public speaking, performance anxiety is another factor that must be taken into account when developing strategies for success in this area.

In the following section we’ll take a look at different ways to reduce performance anxiety ahead of presenting publicly.

Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety is an inevitable part of public speaking. Even the most experienced of speakers experiences feelings of nervousness or apprehension when delivering a speech to an audience. It can be overwhelming and affect your ability to give a successful presentation. The key to overcoming performance anxiety is understanding it and finding ways to cope. First, you should understand that feeling anxious before presenting is natural. According to numerous studies, even extreme anxiety can be beneficial in some ways by increasing motivation and focus. However, too much anxiety can lead to problems with memory recall and make you feel out of control on stage.

To combat this, make sure you take deep breaths and talk slowly . This will help you feel calmer and more confident when you present. Additionally, practice relaxation techniques like meditation and visualisation which can help you feel more relaxed before taking the stage. When considering how to face fear of public speaking, it's important not to let fear paralyse you into inaction. Try taking small steps towards your goals—the purpose of public speaking—and expanding them as your level of comfort grows. Also, learn from mistakes as they come without letting them overwhelm or discourage you. Finally, don’t forget positive self-talk; it’s powerful in helping you remain calm in difficult situations. Having positive thoughts will boost your self-esteem and help reduce any worries or doubts that creep up while delivering a speech. In order to thrive in the world of public speaking, learning how to manage performance anxiety is essential.

With a few helpful strategies such as deep breathing, relaxation techniques, and positive self-talk, anyone feeling overwhelmed with apprehension about getting on stage can start to conquer their fear for good.

Now let’s move on to discussing how best one can prepare for presentations so that fear won't get the best of them in front of an audience.

Preparing for Presentations

For speakers, nothing is more important than being well-prepared for a presentation. Despite the fears you may have surrounding the experience and outcome of your speech, proper preparation can help put you at ease and even enhance your chances of success.

Preparation covers everything from researching your topic thoroughly to developing the content of your presentation, approaching the setup of your speech and running rehearsals of what you’ll say. Although some people prefer to “wing it” when giving a presentation, this approach comes with quite a few risks. You may find that you don't stay on track during the speech or encounter surprises along the way which disrupts its flow even further.

Therefore, if you want to be sure that your presentation is entertaining and informative for its entire duration, it's important to begin preparing for it ahead of time. The first step in preparation is researching topics related to the presentation thoroughly. This research should cover background information related to the story or topic you are discussing as well as any facts or figures that may come in handy.

Once you have researched all relevant information necessary, things like setting up a timeline of events or organizing all your thoughts into a clear structure will help bring this all together.

Having a thorough understanding and knowledge of the subject also allows you to take into consideration potentially tricky points where someone may challenge your statement such as an opposing viewpoint.

By discussing oppositions directly instead of avoiding them you can prove that it has been taken into consideration fully before defending your own opinion on it. Organizing visual aids and practicing out loud can also help build confidence leading up to the speech itself.

Storytelling techniques are welcomed here as they allow for more creativity and can be used with many types of audiences no matter their age or level of knowledge on the topic.

From using analogies to metaphors and even props during the speech, these techniques allow you to make an emotional connection with each audience member by presenting in multiple ways. Your body language tells just as much about yourself as your words do during a presentation so it's essential to ensure comfort in body positioning as well as vocal delivery too. 

Managing nerves is vital here - take deep breaths before beginning, swallow saliva regularly and purposefully maintain direct eye contact with each audience member at least once during the talk.

Or better yet if possible speak directly with people in between sentences depending on topic relevancy when needed; this relaxes both sides naturally allowing a more interactive experience overall. Finally, it's worth rehearsing out loud at least three times so that smooth delivery comes unconsciously while speaking - here practice correct pronunciation of words while speaking slightly louder than usual as well as pacing yourself according to how long you want certain aspects drawn out for or leaving enough space for breaths when needed throughout the course of the presentation too - is key for success. All in all, preparation plays an essential role in dealing with public speaking fear successfully and often determines whether or not yourself and those listening remain engaged throughout its entirety.

Having placed such effort thus far into preparing for presentations, it’s natural that body language is influential here too. Thus, in our following section we’ll discuss how managing reactions from the audience accordingly using body language techniques will influence outcomes within public speaking circles equally so too - Stay tuned!

Body Language and Reactions from the Audience

Visible body language and reactions from the audience can play a crucial role in how well public speaking is perceived by both the speaker and the audience.

When presenting, a presenter should make sure to focus on their postures and facial expressions . Simple cues such as maintaining eye contact, good posture, and gesturing appropriately show an engaged audience that the speaker is present, articulate , knowledgeable, and confident.

It can also help stay connected with the listeners. These visible signals can create a level of trust between the speaker and their listeners, which is essential for any successful presentation. On the other hand, reactions from the audience can be unpredictable and daunting even to experienced speakers. Knowing your material may not be enough if the audience isn't responding positively. If there are no signs of engagement or if they appear tired or bored with what you’re saying, it's easy to become overwhelmed or lose confidence. To ensure your presentation is received well even if the audience’s reaction may appear less than enthusiastic, try using feedback loops to help inform your responses.

Being prepared to recognize trends in the responses of your listeners will help you adjust and tailor your content accordingly so that it resonates better with them. This kind of active engagement can extend the impact of your message and create a more meaningful experience for both yourself and your listeners. By paying attention to body language and managing reactions from the audience during a presentation, speakers can build trust with their listeners, adjust their content tactics, and create engaging interactions for a successful speaking experience.

Top Takeaways

Proper body language and audience reactions can play a crucial part of how public speaking is perceived by both the speaker and the audience.

Presenters should maintain eye contact, good posture, and appropriate gesturing to convey messages of presence, articulation, confidence, and knowledge.

Reactions from the audience can be unpredictable so speakers should prepare to recognize trends in responses in order to adjust their content accordingly for a successful speaking experience.

Coping Strategies for Success

Developing positive coping strategies to help alleviate the fear of public speaking is an important step in overall confidence and success.

As frightening as the prospect of speaking in public may seem, having a few effective tools in one’s toolbox can make it much easier. The first step is accepting that feeling anxious or nervous when engaging in public speaking is a normal response.

Everyone feels these emotions at some point. This can mean taking on a more positive attitude towards the procedure, allowing one to move forward from a perspective of acceptance instead of fear.

Additionally, it helps to actually practice speeches out loud – even for those who are experienced public speakers. Practicing will not only help with comfort levels but also increase knowledge and enthusiasm of the material being presented. In terms of honing communication skills , posture is key! Keeping one's back straight projects professionalism, enthusiasm, and confidence. It will also give the audience the impression that the speaker is “in charge”.

It’s also beneficial to open with an attention-grabber by telling a short story or interesting anecdote related to your topic; this will help to draw in listeners. Using props may also help to break up any monotony and keep listeners engaged throughout the speech.

Thirdly, if something goes wrong during the talk such as forgetting lines or getting off-track , take a few deep breaths and take it as an opportunity to improvise – just as long as it’s done in a professional manner.

Lastly, if all else fails, incorporate some lighthearted joking into the presentation - this can ease tense energy and help create healthier interactions between performers and listeners. Of course, no two people have the same experiences when confronted with the fear of public speaking so what works for one may not work for another; ultimately it’s about finding what works best for each individual person and building upon that.

With these tips in mind and determination, conquering one's fear of speaking publicly should become ten times less scary! To conclude this discussion on coping strategies for success, next we will look at how we can tie all these ideas together into a holistic approach - our section on conclusion.

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health , approximately 73% of people self-report some level of fear when it comes to public speaking.
• A study from 2018 found that 65.5% of participants rated their fear of public speaking above 5 on a scale from 0 to 10, where 10 is the highest level of fear.
• Research indicates that up to 60% of people experience anxiety or terror in social situations such as public speaking.

Public speaking can be a daunting prospect for many people, making it difficult to express themselves or their ideas.

However, there are ways of conquering that fear and gaining the confidence to speak effectively in public.

The seven proven strategies discussed here can help anyone who wants to improve their public speaking skills .

Preparation and practice are essential components of success. It can also be beneficial to break large presentations into smaller chunks, draw from personal experience, and make use of visual aids.

Additionally, focusing on an audience-centered approach, as well as developing an attentive presence, can help speakers command the attention of their listeners.

Only by carefully considering all these components together will any speaker create a successful presentation that allows them to express their message clearly and confidently.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

What resources are available to help me manage my fear of public speaking.

When it comes to managing your fear of public speaking, there are a number of resources available to you. First and foremost, working with a professional coach may be the most effective way to help you face your fear. A coach can provide personalized guidance and teaching on how to become an effective speaker . They can also help you develop strategies to combat your nerves before, during, and after presentations. In addition, organizations such as Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association offer courses and seminars to help people learn the skills necessary to be successful in the public speaking arena. You could also join local meetup groups or communities for those interested in public speaking, which can provide support and peer feedback. Finally, there are many online resources such as books, ebooks, videos, podcasts and apps available which teach techniques for calming yourself before presenting and provide tips for giving great speeches.

Additionally, online forums aimed at helping those conquer their fear of public speaking can act as virtual support systems where members encourage one another with words of advice or discussion about difficult topics.

What tips can I use to overcome my fear of public speaking?

There are several strategies you can use to help you overcome your fear of public speaking. 1. Recognize that everyone is afraid of public speaking to some degree. Knowing that your fear is normal and shared by others can help you feel more comfortable with the idea of presenting in front of an audience. 2. Understand why you are afraid. Being aware of your triggers, such as worries about being judged or looked down on , can help you develop healthy ways to respond in these situations. 3. Prepare thoroughly. Creating a well-structured talk and rehearsing your material ahead of time will ensure you have confidence in the information you are sharing and less anxiety around giving the speech itself. 4. Practice mindfulness and breathing exercises before giving your talk to relax and help ground yourself in the present moment. 5. Speak slower than usual to provoke less anxious thoughts during your presentation and maintain an even narrative throughout. 6. Visualize success. Positive self-talk and visualization can reduce nervous tension before and during your talk by reminding yourself of successes from past presentations or imagined outcomes from a successful one ahead of time. 7. Reach out for support from friends, family or colleagues who may be able to provide encouragement, feedback or tips for improving future talks.

What techniques can I use to become a more confident public speaker?

1. Know Your Audience: Knowing as much as possible about who is in your audience and what they expect from you will help you feel more comfortable and confident when presenting. This means doing research on the group before you speak, so that your material is on-point with their interests. 2. Prepare Thoroughly: Spend plenty of time preparing for your presentation, rehearse it until you are comfortable with the material and the delivery. Once you’ve been through multiple practice sessions, you should be able to deliver your speech or presentation without any hitches. 3. Use Visual Aids: Having something visual to look at while speaking can help to lessen any anxiety or fear you may have. Visual aids such as slides , images, and charts can also assist in communicating your message more clearly and engaging with the audience better. 4. Practice Breath Control: Practice deep breathing before speaking in order to control any feelings of fear or anxiety. Inhale slowly to the count of three, hold it for two seconds, then exhale slowly for three seconds. 5. Take Time To Relax: Do some relaxation exercises before giving your presentation in order to calm down and boost confidence levels. This can include stretching exercises or visualization techniques that allow you to focus on the positive aspects of public speaking rather than being afraid of negative outcomes. 6. Try Out Different Voice Tones And Gestures: Try varying up the way you use your body language, gestures, tempo and voice tone when delivering your speech in order to inject more energy into it and keep people interested in what you’re saying. 7. Rehearse With Friends And Others: Ask close friends and other trusted individuals to provide feedback on how you can effectively communicate your message in a confident manner while keeping it interesting for the audience.

Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking 

Effective ways to deal with this common fear..

Posted June 29, 2022 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

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"At a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” —Jerry Seinfeld “When you draw a bow, you don’t hold two arrows.” —Japanese saying

Having an opportunity to speak in front of an audience, whether it be three or three hundred people, being confronted with the chance to greet new people, or the chance to present to new clients can fill us with dread. One of the biggest obstacles that many of us face is the fear of public interaction. Research in the USA shows the fear of public speaking (or ‘glossophobia’) ranks among the top fears people face, even surpassing the fear of heights, the fear of spiders, and the fear of death itself.

The Fear of Public Speaking

The very fact of being in the spotlight opens us up to the possibility of evaluation, criticism or even rejection. Research from the University of California, Los Angeles demonstrated that the distress of rejection activates the same part of the brain, called the anterior cingulate cortex, that also responds to physical pain. Another study conducted by Edward E. Smith, director of cognitive neuroscience at Columbia University, demonstrated that the feeling of rejection is one of the most painful emotions and can be sustained even longer than fear. Therefore, we can say that fear and anxiety before socialising or public speaking may be caused not only by a fear of public speaking per se, but also by others' perceived responses to us. We can become fearful of our own ability to perform by worrying that we may end up embarrassing ourselves. Accepting our fear helps us to take steps to respond. The fear we feel is usually proportionate to the desire to do well and to be seen in a good light. This anxiety can generate complex psychophysiological reactions that we may perceive to be life-threatening such as:

• Pounding heart
• Shaky hands
• Quivering voice
• Cold, sweaty palms
• Stomach cramps.

Fear is not only a normal reaction to a public-speaking event, but can actually boost our performance.

Transforming Fear

Most people who fear presenting or public speaking apply the same or a similar solution to that of trying to maintain control over their fear, which ironically drives them to lose control, quite similar to having panic attacks. When facing the feared situation, our strategy of thinking about the worst fantasy can enable people to overcome their problem and mobilize their resources. The attempt to try and keep control over the situation through the avoidance of public speaking and trying to avoid thinking about what might happen increases our fear. But trying not to think about something is also the best way to think even more about it.

So, in such cases, we must self-prescribe a daily space and time, precisely planned, with a beginning and an end, in which we voluntarily concentrate all our worst fantasies . This will gradually help contain and overcome our fears and anxiety when asked to speak or perform in public. Another important strategy on presentation day is to give yourself the possibility to choose between two options. The first option is to declare your weakness and make public your fear or the second which now seems less frightening and easier to do, which is to continue to speak in public. This mental trick can allow our mind, when faced with two options, one less frightening than the other, to choose the least frightening one and move to speak.

In those rare cases when we declare our secret, the same result is obtained. People report that soon after their secret “confession,” all their tension dissolves and their speech occurs remarkably well and relaxed. Unfortunately, the usual attempt to control one’s tension leads to a loss of control. When humans let go of control and declare their weaknesses they become stronger. Using this strategy allows our weakness to become a strength. Refusing to accept our own limitations makes our weakness unmanageable, and negative results ensue. A person who declares their fragility to others appears strong because it demonstrates their courageous side.

The Worst Fantasy

There is a phrase in Latin that is also used in medicine: ‘similia similibus curantur’, which means ‘like is cured by like’. This adage is also true in the case of fear-based problems. Fear itself can be overcome by and through fear. A technique we use at my clinic to fight any fear is the so-called ‘worst fantasy’, where the patient is asked to literally evoke their ghosts and touch them to make them disappear. This simple but highly effective, paradoxical procedure immediately blocks the patient’s usual attempted solution of trying to stop the fear from occurring. Moreover, this procedure transforms something which is out of control into a form of prescribed, self-induced, and therefore controlled, behaviour.

Reiteration of this process ritually, at a specific time and space in the day, progressively brings the undesired sensation to saturation, and to self- annulment . It involves taking an alarm clock and setting it for 30 minutes, whereupon you will imagine your speech or conversation with others, conjuring up all of your fears, worries, thoughts and images, and allowing, maybe even forcing them, to occur during the half an hour time period. After this time, you stop and return to everyday life. The effect can be quite dramatic.

Deep Breathing

Such strong emotions as anxiety and fear trigger in your body a very specific ‘fight, freeze or flight’ response: Your muscles tighten, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure goes up and your breathing becomes shallow. While this physical reaction may be helpful in escaping danger, it is hardly helpful during the presentation (as you can neither run away from your audience nor fight with it). However, since your breathing rate is directly connected to your emotional reaction, the fastest and easiest way to keep your emotions under control and regain confidence is through deep breathing. Whether you are to talk to potential clients or to make a presentation to your team, make sure that you remember to breathe deeply and evenly before, and during, your speech.

Shifting Focus Outwards

Paul L. Witt, Ph.D., the Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University, believes that many people perform worse than they could because they focus too much on their physical symptoms (i.e. butterflies, shaky hands, sweaty palms) and on their embarrassment , instead of concentrating on their breathing and their speech. This problem could be avoided by shifting focus from how we feel or look to the message we want to share with our audience.

Visualising

Visualisation or ‘mental rehearsal’ has been routinely used by many top athletes as part of their training for a competition . In addition to athletics, research has shown that visualisation helps to improve performance in such areas as communication, public speaking and education . To ensure that your presentation goes smoothly, aside from the actual preparation and rehearsal of your speech, take 10-15 minutes a day to relax, close your eyes and visualise the room you are speaking in, the people in the auditorium and yourself confidently delivering your speech, smiling, and moving across the stage.

Focusing on Facts, Not Fears

Instead of focusing on fears (e.g. your mind going blank, the audience getting bored ), concentrate your thoughts on positive facts such as: “I have practised my speech many times,” “I am an expert on this topic,” and “I have notes with major bullet points to structure my talk.” Focusing on positive facts and on what you can offer takes your thoughts away from irrational scenarios about what might go wrong.

Gibson, P. (2022) The Persuasion Principle. Comuncation Strategies, to Persuade, Influence and Change. Strategic Science Books.

Jackson, D., Watzlawick, P, Bavelas, J. (1967). The Pragmatics of Human Communication. Norton Books. NY.

Padraic Gibson, D.Psych, is a Consultant Clinical Psychotherapist and is the Clinical Director of The OCD Clinic®, and director of Training and Organization Consultation at The Coaching Clinic®, Dublin. He is senior research associate at Dublin City University.

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Fear of public speaking: how can i overcome it, how can i overcome my fear of public speaking.

Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice. But with preparation and persistence, you can overcome your fear.

These steps may help:

• Know your topic. The better you understand what you're talking about — and the more you care about the topic — the less likely you'll make a mistake or get off track. And if you do get lost, you'll be able to recover quickly. Take some time to consider what questions the audience may ask and have your responses ready.
• Get organized. Ahead of time, carefully plan out the information you want to present, including any props, audio or visual aids. The more organized you are, the less nervous you'll be. Use an outline on a small card to stay on track. If possible, visit the place where you'll be speaking and review available equipment before your presentation.
• Practice, and then practice some more. Practice your complete presentation several times. Do it for some people you're comfortable with and ask for feedback. It may also be helpful to practice with a few people with whom you're less familiar. Consider making a video of your presentation so you can watch it and see opportunities for improvement.
• Challenge specific worries. When you're afraid of something, you may overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening. List your specific worries. Then directly challenge them by identifying probable and alternative outcomes and any objective evidence that supports each worry or the likelihood that your feared outcomes will happen.
• Visualize your success. Imagine that your presentation will go well. Positive thoughts can help decrease some of your negativity about your social performance and relieve some anxiety.
• Do some deep breathing. This can be very calming. Take two or more deep, slow breaths before you get up to the podium and during your speech.
• Focus on your material, not on your audience. People mainly pay attention to new information — not how it's presented. They may not notice your nervousness. If audience members do notice that you're nervous, they may root for you and want your presentation to be a success.
• Don't fear a moment of silence. If you lose track of what you're saying or start to feel nervous and your mind goes blank, it may seem like you've been silent for an eternity. In reality, it's probably only a few seconds. Even if it's longer, it's likely your audience won't mind a pause to consider what you've been saying. Just take a few slow, deep breaths.
• Recognize your success. After your speech or presentation, give yourself a pat on the back. It may not have been perfect, but chances are you're far more critical of yourself than your audience is. See if any of your specific worries actually occurred. Everyone makes mistakes. Look at any mistakes you made as an opportunity to improve your skills.
• Get support. Join a group that offers support for people who have difficulty with public speaking. One effective resource is Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization with local chapters that focuses on training people in speaking and leadership skills.

If you can't overcome your fear with practice alone, consider seeking professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a skills-based approach that can be a successful treatment for reducing fear of public speaking.

As another option, your doctor may prescribe a calming medication that you take before public speaking. If your doctor prescribes a medication, try it before your speaking engagement to see how it affects you.

Nervousness or anxiety in certain situations is normal, and public speaking is no exception. Known as performance anxiety, other examples include stage fright, test anxiety and writer's block. But people with severe performance anxiety that includes significant anxiety in other social situations may have social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia). Social anxiety disorder may require cognitive behavioral therapy, medications or a combination of the two.

Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P.

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• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• 90 tips from Toastmasters. Toastmasters International. https://www.toastmasters.org/About/90th-Anniversary/90-Tips. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• Stein MB, et al. Approach to treating social anxiety disorder in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• How to keep fear of public speaking at bay. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/tips-sidebar.aspx. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• Jackson B, et al. Re-thinking anxiety: Using inoculation messages to reduce and reinterpret public speaking fears. PLOS One. 2017;12:e0169972.
• Sawchuk CN (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 24, 2017.

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Fear of Public Speaking: Everything to Know

Fear stems from public speaking anxiety.

Plenty of things make people scared. They include, in no particular order, spiders, snakes, heights, and clowns. And then there is the fear of public speaking. This common fear is not about the words themselves, but rather the experience of having to say them.

Here at Throughline Group , we’ve discovered that for many presenters this fear quickly disperses once the initial jitters subside. A study conducted by Texas Christian University faculty members Amber N. Finn, Chris Sawyer, and Ralph Behnke found that speaking-related anxiety peaks for most speakers immediately before their speech begins and recedes after the first minute or so of talking.

For others, this fear leads to pervasive and persistent anxiety that results in avoidance of all public speaking situations. This can be a serious hindrance to career and personal growth.

For instance, perhaps you have a great idea but are too scared to bring it up in a meeting. Or you routinely let others take the lead during sales presentations.

In the sections to come, we offer information and resources to help you better understand the reasons this fear can become pervasive and how it manifests itself, as well as how to get over fear of public speaking – and even use it to your advantage.

Is the Fear of Public Speaking a Specific Phobia?

Photo by Elliot Sloman on Unsplash

Not necessarily. Feeling some anxiety – the proverbial “butterflies in the stomach” before or during a talk – does not indicate a fear of public speaking phobia. However, for those people whose fear of public speaking is so distressing and debilitating as to make speaking in front of any group – whether in a social setting, school, or at work – an excruciating experience (or one that is assiduously avoided), then the clinical term for fear of public speaking, glossophobia, could apply.

As with any phobia, glossophobia represents an excessive and unrealistic fear of the object, activity, person, or situation that is triggering the fear. For instance, experiencing increased anxiety before addressing a boisterous, unruly crowd is a rational response. But if the mere thought of offering input to a small group of co-workers about an ongoing project leaves you with paralyzing fear, your response to the situation is irrational.

Phobias often bring on a “fight or flight response” that manifests itself in anxiety-related physical symptoms, such as heart palpitations, nausea, light-headedness, excessive perspiration, and difficulty in breathing. In our work, we occasionally witness a more profound reaction, such as a panic attack. In those more serious cases of fear of public speaking, learning how to overcome public speaking anxiety might require medical or therapeutic remedies in addition to more effective presentation strategies.

How Common is the Fear of Public Speaking?

How common is the fear of public speaking? Put simply – very. Some researchers have estimated that as much as 70 percent of the population experience some fear of public speaking. It’s not necessarily everyone’s top fear — nor is it more feared than death – but it is the most common fear.

For some people, their public speaking anxiety may be associated with a broader social anxiety disorder . Some researchers believe that type of speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15 to 30 percent of the general population.

One survey of nearly 500 respondents in Canada found that a third of the respondents reported excessive anxiety when speaking before a large audience. Among their top worries was “saying something embarrassing,” forgetting what they wanted to say, and struggling to speak. The majority of those who expressed fear said their anxiety around audiences began before the age of 20.

While public speaking anxiety is common, we’ve known many speakers who express distress yet learn how to not be nervous public speaking. They do this by identifying the origins of their fear and finding the best remedies to help them overcome it.

Why Are People Afraid of Public Speaking?

Anxiety is an entirely normal, reflexive, and useful response when we face a difficult or dangerous situation. It’s what makes us highly alert and reactive to threats. When it comes to public speaking, too much can be debilitating, while the right amount can be useful.

The first step in reducing and managing fear is to discover why you are afraid. Everyone develops, experiences, and manifests fear differently. Overcoming fear of public speaking is largely an individual approach.

Fear of public speaking can develop from how you think about yourself, your material, the speaking situation you are in, or your audience – or any combination of factors. Perhaps you have some underlying predispositions that make you more susceptible to anxiety. Maybe fear has set in because of a well-intentioned, but ultimately harmful critique that made you doubt your authentic self.

Here are eight causes of public speaking fear . As you go through the list, you may discover your fear is based on more than one root cause.

A large body of research places public speaking fear within a larger context known as “ communication apprehension ,” which was introduced as a concept by the late communications researcher and professor James McCroskey in 1970.

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking!

Work with our experienced Throughline Group trainers to learn practical tips and strategies to reduce and manage your public speaking anxiety. Sign up for our custom public speaking workshops today!

4 Factors That Contribute to Public Speaking Anxiety

Communication apprehension is anxiety or fear brought on by communicating or even thinking about communicating with another person or a group of people. This fear can be present in personal, professional, or public situations, according to McCroskey. Further, the anxiety or fear can be tempered or turned up by the setting, such as whether it’s formal or informal.

Through his research, he concluded that speaking anxiety is multifaceted and particular to the person. In other words, experiencing discomfort in a fearful situation is largely a universal response, but what makes one person fearful of public speaking may not make another speaker break out in a sweat.

He identified four types of anxiety that contribute to a speaker’s communication apprehension:

These are not fixed points, but rather a continuum, with some speakers more intensely affected by one type over the other. Additional factors contribute to the unease as well, such as whether you are in an unfamiliar setting or you are covering new material. Your ultimate goal can affect your anxiety levels, too. If a lot is riding on one speech, for instance, it’s entirely normal for the anxiety to ratchet up. (You can read more fully on these concepts here .)

Here’s a closer look at the four types of anxiety:

Do you tend to make decisions quickly or do you take your time making them? Do you prefer the company of a few people or a large crowd? Do you seek novel experiences or prefer familiar haunts? The personality characteristics we’ve developed along the way tend to affect how our psychological and physical reactions to experiences. These personality traits provide a clue to the way we respond to communication across multiple contexts, according to McCroskey. Some speakers may struggle with public speaking because of natural predispositions and learned behaviors.

You may not worry about speaking in front of a half-dozen members of your work team, but addressing 100 or more people for a formal keynote event is never going to happen. Or, if it does, it will be a grueling experience. It’s not so much the size or who is in the audience, but rather the context that causes anxiety. For instance, you may be a relatively calm speaker until you face a new situation, such as using technology you’ve never used before. Or you shine in informal settings, but fear saying the wrong thing or making a mistake in a more formal setting.

Certain audiences can reduce or boost anxiety for public speakers. Perhaps an audience of colleagues would provide comfort, while strangers would increase your fear. Or vice versa. Researchers have found certain beliefs the speaker holds about audience characteristics, such as perceived similarity, social standing, professional status, and familiarity can influence the speaker’s level of anxiety. The size of the audience can also be a factor. For some, large audiences can be far more daunting than an intimate group. For others, it can be the reverse.

Situational

This anxiety tends to describe those moments when conditions come together to create a distinct and uniquely nerve-wracking experience. Maybe a very loud drum circle is under way in the room next to you. Or you face a combative and argumentative speaker from the get-go. Or you must deliver extremely bad news to your board. Even if you are familiar with the audience and that typically eases anxiety and you have a firm grip on your material, some other factor may affect your ability to manage your fear in that situation.

Public speaking anxiety symptoms

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

In working with participants in our online and in-person public speaking training workshops   who want to learn how to get over their fear of public speaking, it is surprising how many of them are often off the mark on how apprehensive they look. After a practice speech, they’ll tell us they were a nervous wreck. They are sure their quivering voice, sweaty brow, pounding heart, and trembling hands gave them away. Yet, we were unable to spot any symptoms.

That’s the good news. For many speakers, their worry and anxiety about how they come across to their audience are disproportionate to how they appear – so it becomes a matter of becoming less fearful about the symptoms themselves and tackling the underlying problems that give rise to the anxiety in the first place.

Of course, some speakers experience symptoms that get in the way of giving effective talks. Simply knowing why these symptoms occur is an important first step toward managing them. When your body is confronted with a threat – real or perceived – the natural defense is called a “fight or flight” response. Your body releases hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, to prepare you to stay or go.

Here’s a close look at what your fear of public speaking may bring on:

Trembling and Shaking

As anxiety rises, your body may tremble and shake in response. Your hands may shake as you sip your water or hold your notes. Your muscles may feel “rubbery” or weak. You may feel light-headed or think you are about to faint. All of this discomfort is alarming, but it’s not necessarily dangerous. It’s a natural physical response to the complex processes taking place within your body to deal with the threat. Often, secondary worry caused by the symptoms themselves can make the shaking continue longer than it’s meant to. The good thing is what seems like a full-on quake to you is typically only a slight tremor that is barely perceptible to your audience.

Excessive Sweating

As our body temperature rises, sweat keeps us from overheating. As your perspiration evaporates, it cools the body. It’s all very natural. Rising body temperature signals certain sweat glands to start producing sweat. During a stressful event that triggers fear or anxiety, body temperature rises as researchers have found , which signals the body to start sweating as it would during exercise or a hot day. However, in addition, your stress hormones signal different glands to produce sweat as well. Some call it “stress sweat.” This can bring on the sweaty palms, glistening foreheads, and the moisture that pools under your arms and across your back. (Note: This is not the same as hyperhidrosis , a medical condition where your body’s sweat glands overact causing excessive and abnormal perspiration.)

If all that trembling, shaking, and excessive sweating isn’t enough, you may also experience a dry, itchy, or sticky feeling in your mouth, known as dry mouth. (The clinical term is xerostomia .) Basically, your salivary glands are not making enough saliva. This makes it difficult for you to speak, or you may experience a sore or dry throat. While it is known that certain health conditions, such as diabetes or stroke, and medications can cause it to occur, researchers have found that stress and anxiety are significant factors , as well. Getting over public speaking anxiety can help ease this symptom, as can a few simple measures. Drink water before your talk and have some handy during your presentation. Also, avoid tobacco, acidic and caffeinated drinks, and alcohol, which can worsen the condition.

Increased Heart Rate

Your heart rate is controlled by your autonomic nervous system, which is in the driver’s seat when it comes to a fight or flight response. Two pathways – sympathetic and parasympathetic – make up that system. The former revs you up; the latter applies the brakes. That cycle helps you get the energy you need to run a mile, for instance, and then reduce your heart rate once you are at rest. That process tends to be gradual. However, when you are faced with a threat – real or perceived – or high-stress situation, such as giving a presentation, that “rev up” can be like going from 0 to 60 mph in a matter of seconds. This is what causes a spike in your heart rate and blood pressure.

Squeaky Voice

As all that adrenaline and cortisol surges through your body, few body processes are spared the effects – including your voice. When you are stressed, the muscles around your voice box, or larynx, can become tense . This can result in a voice that cracks or “squeaks.” Known as muscle tension dysphonia, it affects the quality of your tone. TED Ideas teamed with speech-language pathologist Jackie Gartner-Schmidt to help presenters avoid having voices that sound “shaky, squeaky or choked up.”

How to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking

Unfortunately, no one magic elixir will ease the panic you feel when it comes to your public speaking. Overcoming public speaking anxiety takes a concentrated approach that incorporates several best practices .

We’ve found one of the best ways to get over your fear of public speaking is to effectively organize and deliver your talk. This leads to positive audience feedback and that leads to greater confidence. This can be achieved by being prepared, practicing, and taking public speaking classes. Meanwhile, if your heart is racing, you can calm it through targeted breathing exercises. And, you can get a grip on that anxiety by putting it to better use. Through strategies such as positive self-talk, you can reappraise your fear and turn it into a powerful motivator.

In a recent paper , Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School addresses this dynamic: “Individuals who reappraise their anxious arousal as excitement feel more excited and perform better.” She suggests motivational pep talks or simple reminders to boost the concept of opportunity rather than dread.

She found speakers who opted to redirect that fear performed better than those who tried to will it away and eliminate it.

Here some useful tips to overcome fear of public speaking and learn how to better manage it:

Talk Yourself Up with Positive Self Talk

Fearful speakers tend to allow negative self-talk to derail their presentations before they even get a chance to get off the ground. As they revisit and rehash previous talks, they relive those moments when they failed to connect with their audience or land a key point, or when their mic cut out. When anxiety wins out, we tend to only think about all that can go wrong, rather than all that can go right.

One of the useful tips to overcome the fear of public speaking is to write a new script. Replace negative words with positive dialogue. It’s a process called cognitive restructuring . Instead of saying “I made a mistake,” you tell yourself, “That was a lesson learned.” “Missteps” are just steps (no “mis” needed) in your journey to being a better speaker.

Always Be Prepared

Being prepared is a matter of knowing your material and anticipating your logistical needs for your public speaking engagement.

You build confidence from the start by getting a firm handle on your content. You know what it is you want to say and how you want to say it. Then, whatever delivery method you choose, give yourself time to develop an engaging presentation.

Then there are the logistics. For instance, have you secured the equipment you’ll need and hammered out details with the organizers? Do you have a backup of your presentation on the cloud or portable hard drive, as well as a printout of your talk? Being prepared can alleviate pre-talk jitters, as well as make you better able to handle glitches during your presentation.

Shift Your Mindset

When we ask speakers why they’re anxious, they share concerns that reflect a self-focused perspective. They fear that they will appear flustered or frantic, forget a key point, or lose their place. In each instance, they can ease their fear of public speaking by redirecting their attention to their audience.

Think of the audience as people you already know, which can help to forge a connection. If that proves difficult, here’s a quick mental exercise: Focus on someone in your audience and think about their story. You might say to yourself: “I bet they are wondering how they are going to get through all their to-dos on their do-do list today. So, how can I make sure the next 45 minutes they spend with me matters? How can I help them leave here today with confidence they have the knowledge and tools to implement the strategies I am proposing?”

When you’re busy thinking about how to make someone else’s life better, there’s less time to be consumed with your own fears.

Do Breathing Exercises

When we become anxious , our breath tends to become shallow, and our lungs may feel restricted. This is not an ideal feeling moments before you are about to give a speech. There are, however, breathing techniques for public speaking anxiety that you can employ before your next talk. In their book The Healing Power of the Breath , psychiatrists Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg recommend a technique called “Coherent Breathing.” Here’s one variation:

• Sit upright in a chair and release the tension in your muscles.
• Breathe in through your nose gently and inhale slowly for six seconds. Your belly should expand as you inhale. You can place your hand on your belly to make sure your hand moves outward with your breath.
• Breathe out through your nose gently and exhale slowly for six seconds until you empty your belly of air.
• Continue to use this pattern for 10-15 minutes.

This is but one version of a deep breathing exercise. Do an online search for deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, and pick the one that works for you.

Practice By Yourself

One of the best strategies for managing public speaking anxiety is to practice your speech. This allows you to identify your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and fix trouble spots before your presentation. An effective technique is to videotape yourself. You don’t have to record the full speech. Break it up into manageable segments – 5 to 10 minutes will do. In reviewing your session:

• Assess your nonverbal and verbal delivery.
• Take notes.
• Ask questions. (Did you use too many “umms” and “ahhs?” Were you too quiet? Did you overly rely on your notes instead of making eye contact?)

Then, focus on one or two or areas to improve. When you feel confident with one area move on to the next. As you make incremental improvement, your fear of public speaking is likely to ebb. You can learn more about effective practice sessions here .

Consider Taking Fear of Public Speaking Courses

As McCroskey noted in his research , public speaking apprehension is best viewed on a continuum – not everyone experiences it the same way and for the same reasons. For instance, say you are extroverted around your friends, but become incredibly shy and overwhelmed when it comes to public speaking? The strategies that work for you may not be the best remedy for someone who struggles in all communications settings. That’s why it is important to work with trainers who understand that the course curriculum needs to work for a range of personalities and abilities.

We believe the best public speaking anxiety tips are those that best align with your innate talents, delivery style, and audiences. When it comes to the steps to overcome fear of public speaking, our trainers work with you to identify commonsense techniques and strategies that work best for you .

Effects of Fear of Public Speaking On Your Professional and Personal Life

In survey after survey , employers rank oral and written communications among the top skills they seek in current and new employees. For those who experience debilitating fear at the thought of speaking to an audience – whether that audience is a half-dozen co-workers or a conference room full of people – this apprehension can have serious consequences on their career advancement. But beyond that, they lose out on their opportunity to share their unique talents, outlook, and expertise with audiences of all sizes.

When you work on your public speaking skills, you invariably improve your overall communication and leadership skills, and that can lead to greater confidence (and more opportunities to show your professional worth).

When you are confident, you are more likely to volunteer to lead that presentation to a potential client. Or, you may become a more efficient communicator and provide concise and targeted answers to your boss. By getting a handle on your nonverbal cues, you can better read your co-workers, supervisors, and potential clients.

When you have the tips to overcome your fear of public speaking, you have the tools to not only carry out an essential business skill, but also improve your personal communications, as well. At that moment you are asked to offer a few words at your parents’ anniversary party, for instance, you won’t have to let fear keep you on the sidelines.

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Top 5 Presentation Fears and How to Overcome Them

October 31, 2014 / Blog presentation delivery, presentation fears, presentation tips, public speaking anxiety

For a majority of Americans, a true horror story doesn’t involve the dead coming back to life. What really scares 76% of the population is far simpler. It’s a situation that regularly occurs in the world of business. In this scenario, there are no zombies or vampires. There’s only an empty stage with an audience looking on.

In lists ranking people’s phobias , the fear of public speaking constantly appears on top. It even outranks the fear of death, which usually appears at number two. Isn’t it odd that we find the idea of facing an audience even more daunting than death? Jerry Seinfeld  made a comic observation about it:

I read a thing that actually says that speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. I found that amazing – number two was death! That means to the average person if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.

So what leads to this heightened response over something that is so integral to our professional lives? Why are people so anxious about sharing their ideas to an audience? What are the presentation fears we need to overcome?

Presentation Fears: What are we afraid of?

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Judith E. Pearson works to help people move past their phobias. In her sessions she discovered three major presentation fears:

• Being the center of attention
• Making a mistake in front of others 
• Repeating mistakes from previous presentations 

Another public speaking coach, Gary Genard , adds a few more factors to the list. According to his experience, presentation fears stem from the following:

• Feeling dissatisfied with one’s presentation skills
• Comparing one’s self to other speakers 

‘Re-frame and Regain’: Overcoming presentation fears

According to Dr. Pearson, the best way to overcome your presentation fears is to approach them in a different light. We often get too involved in our fears that it soon becomes the only thing we can worry about. By re-framing the way you handle the situation, you can use your presentation fears as motivation.

Here’s how you can re-frame the 5 presentation fears listed above. Regain your confidence with the following techniques:

It’s not about you

A lot of the most common presentation fears stem from self-consciousness. If your anxiety stems from being the center of attention or how you compare to other speakers, it’s because you’re worried about how the audience perceives you. Are they scrutinizing the way you move and speak? Will they judge you if you make a mistake? Would they rather hear someone else talk about this topic? You get nervous because you worry about what they  might be thinking of you.

To solve this problem, you need to stop thinking of what you might be doing wrong. Instead, you need to focus on your goals. What is your presentation about? Why are you delivering it in the first place? What do you want to accomplish by the end of it?

And just like you, the audience is there to accomplish their own goals. They want to hear the information you’re about to share. If you really want to please them, focus on delivering your core message efficiently. As Dr. Pearson puts it, “stop thinking like a victim in front of a firing squad and start thinking like someone who has something worthwhile to say to people who want to hear it.”

Mistakes are unavoidable

Presentation fears can also stem from past experiences. If a crucial misstep derailed a previous presentation, it’s normal to worry that the same thing will happen again. As Genard puts it, “public speaking anxiety is often learned behavior.” But even so, it doesn’t have to be permanent.

Accept that some situations are out of your control and mistakes are inevitable. Instead of obsessing over the mistakes you committed in the past, think of how that experience can help improve your skills.

Practice makes perfect

It might sound cliche, but the best antidote to your presentation fears is sufficient preparation. Take the time to practice your skills and prepare your presentation. Familiarize yourself with all your points and arguments. Give yourself enough time to prepare great visuals. Most importantly, practice your skills even without a presentation coming up. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel about facing a crowd to share your point of view.

READ MORE: 

• Reframing Three Major Fears About Public Speaking – Toastmasters International
• 10 Causes of Speech Anxiety that Create Fear of Public Speaking – The Genard Method
• Public Speaking Anxiety: Facts, Stats, and Methods to Beat It

Featured Image:  Pablo  via Flickr

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Overcoming the fear of presenting

July 31, 2022 Public speaking is often a nerve-racking experience, even for the most seasoned professionals. Whether it is presenting to a large group, a senior client, or a CEO, it involves overcoming fears and doubts, being confident, and thinking on your feet. In My Rookie Moment , McKinsey senior leaders look back on presentations they gave as rookie consultants—sometimes unexpectedly and without much preparation—and the lessons they learned that helped shape their careers. Check out the videos to see what they have to say.

Katy George

Lareina Yee

Vik Malhotra

Shubham Singhal

Chris Leech

how to give the perfect presentation

Overcoming fear of presentations, mental, physical & psychological strategies for greater confidence.

If you’re afraid of public speaking, you’re not alone. In fact, one study found that more people were afraid of public speaking than of dying! Many people suffer from so much stress while giving a presentation that their heart race, their hands sweat, their knees shake, and their mouths feel dry. What’s more, they may speak too fast or even forget what they wanted to say. Yet these physical stress responses can be overcome by identifying the causes of the fear and developing ways to overcome them.

Calming your inner critic

Sometimes, in our desire to excel and give of our best, we end up becoming our own worst critic. Instead of taking strength from the many positive experiences of our lives, we remember and exaggerate the effect of our mistakes. We brood over them, worry, and avoid future situations in which we may make the same errors. We allow our inner critic to destroy our confidence, affect our performance, or prevent us from reaching our potential. The problem in thinking this way is that we start to shut down our personal and professional horizons, instead of expanding them.

Making realistic improvements

At best, our fears challenge us. At worst, they immobilize us. This is especially true for those who have a phobia of public speaking. So,take tiny steps and keep your expectations realistic. Understand that you may continue to feel nervous, but not overly scared. More important, you will slowly start to look calm and confident, even if you don’t feel that way yet. As you prepare and plan, you will feel more in control of various elements of your presentation. At the beginning, you are unlikely to feel confident or to enjoy the experience. This happens only after you have accumulated many successful experiences. Nevertheless, you can learn how to give the impression that you are confident and happy to be there. Each positive performance will boost your self-esteem and motivate you to improve further. Finally, do not aim for perfection; aim for improvement. That is the way all of us grow and expand.

Changing your focus

As you progress in your career, and give more presentations, you will find that your focus begins to change from yourself to your audience. This changed attitude is an indication that you are no longer limited by the fear. A variety of strategies can help you to calm yourself and reach this stage.

Conquering nervousness

Most people feel nervous when they give a presentation. The key is to control the negative manifestations of your nervousness and to channel the extra energy flow. Remember, many people feel nervous but not everyone shows their nervousness. And that’s what matters.

Implementing useful strategies

Once you identify the ways you express your nervousness, you can use the following techniques to steady your wobbly knees and calm your racing heartbeat:

• Mental Strategies
• Psychological Controls
• Physical Techniques

The best approach is to experiment with a combination of techniques and see what works best for you. It doesn’t matter what helps your friend or colleague. We are all different and require unique methods to make us feel calm, cool, and in control. Whatever happens, don’t give up. Know that everyone has passed through the fear and everyone can come out of it. If the fear persists, it may be because you gave up too soon; delivering one or two more presentations might have been all that was required to break away from the fear for life.

MENTAL STRATEGIES

Prepare properly.

One of the best ways to overcome fear is to be adequately prepared. Nervousness is often produced by fear of the unknown. If you are familiar with your presentation material, your anxiety about speaking will be reduced. If you have ever given the same presentation more than once, you will have experienced this already.

Take the time to plan your presentation well. Use an organization template to make sure the information flows logically. Make sure you emphasize and repeat the key points you want people to remember. Don’t give in to the temptation to include too much information. People can only absorb so much knowledge at one stretch in an auditory manner.

Study the guidelines about designing effective visuals. Most people include too much information on their slides. Write only the most basic information on the slide itself so you can play a meaningful role in fleshing out the information and argument. If there are additional details you want to share, include them in a handout.

Then, after you’ve chosen the information and created your visuals, rehearse as often as necessary to get a feel for the flow of events. Identify how you will move smoothly from one point or section to the next. Draw up a plan and rehearse till you feel like you could deliver the presentation in your sleep. The repetition will also help you identify any bugs in your talk before the real event. If you always get stuck on particular word, for example, drop that word or expression and choose another you’re more comfortable with.

In short, the more you sweat while preparing the presentation, the less you will sweat while actually delivering it!

Conduct a Dialogue

Standing before a group of people to present your ideas often creates the feeling that you are delivering a monologue. However, any presentation, regardless of how formal, is a dialogue because you are constantly receiving visual feedback from the audience. You can reinforce the conversational aspect of presentations in your mind by using the following techniques:

• Interact with audience members before the presentation. Mingle with the crowd and introduce yourself.That way, they won’t be strangers anymore.
• Maintain eye contact during the presentation. Begin by establishing eye contact with a friendly face. As you feel more comfortable, focus on each person in small groups.
• Ask questions, so as to involve the audience whenever possible.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTROLS

Identify your fears.

One helpful step toward conquering your fear is to identify what it is you are afraid of. Some commonly expressed fears are:

• I might make a fool of myself.
• I might forget what I am going to say.
• I might begin to stutter or say the wrong thing.
• People may laugh at me.

Once you’ve identified what it is you are afraid of, you can determine whether the fear is legitimate. To analyze your fears, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this a rational fear?
• If this is a rational fear, what is the worst that could happen?

Send positive messages

In life, you generally get what you expect. Learn to handle your inner critic and tell him or her that you can and will change. Look into the mirror and give yourself positive affirmations to offset the negative self-talk and to make a breakthrough. Instead of telling yourself that you’re terrible at giving presentations, for example, give yourself the positive message that you have the required skills to do a good job. Instead of saying you might forget what to say, tell yourself that you have reviewed and rehearsed so often that you could deliver the presentation well in your sleep!

Use visualization techniques

Visualization is kind of mental rehearsal. It is a psychological process in which you prepare yourself to produce a positive result by imagining a future event in your mind. It doesn’t take much time, and enables you to practice mentally for your presentation. If you visualize yourself giving a successful, confident presentation, you are more likely to do so. Never visualize yourself making mistakes, or you may subconsciously program yourself to do so. Expect a positive outcome as most winning personalities do. Be confidently optimistic in your own abilities and expect a better tomorrow.

Meet your audience

If possible, walk around, introduce yourself and greet members of your audience before the presentation begins. In this way, you will be speaking to fewer strangers and are more likely to get a positive nod from the individuals you have already met.

Do your best

To minimize your fear, you also must accept that it is not your job to please every single person in the room. Do your best to get your message across, focus on the positive responses you are picking up and forget the others.

PHYSICAL METHODS

Although nervousness is caused by a mental lack of confidence, the body responds as if it were being threatened physically. In both situations, the body is reacting to stress. The solution is to find a way to control your body’s physical reaction. The following methods will help you relax.

Progressive relaxation is a method of systematic tightening and loosening various muscles of your body until your entire body is in a relaxed state. The action of tightening and loosening enables you to feel the difference between the two states in a more pronounced way.

Guided imagery is a relaxation method which transports you mentally to a place which you associate with peace and restfulness (the opposite of stress) and thus allows your body to feel more relaxed before a presentation.

Moving about before and during the presentation relaxes your muscles and processes excess adrenalin. So get up out of your chair and walk around a bit, in a relaxed way, where you can get away from the crowd for a short while.

Breathe deeply and slowly while others are speaking or before you are introduced and called upon to begin your presentation. Then, walk confidently to the podium and begin speaking with energy.

I am terrified of presenting in front of a group…. I am also shy at parties and stuff like that. Is there any hope for me?

I am afraid my boss will ask me to do a presentation one day and I will lose my job. Maybe some people just don’t have it…?

First, relax. There are millions of people around the world who feel as you do. Still, if you are serious about getting over this fear, start by taking miniature steps. Read over all the guidelines on our site. Tell yourself that you’re as capable as anyone else of doing anything you put your mind to. In the meantime, start reading through some of the excellent books on overcoming presentations anxiety.

Starting tomorrow, take one tiny action each day to overcome your fear of social situations. Walk into a restaurant, ask a friendly stranger the time, ask a sales assistant for help, introduce yourself to a stranger at a party. Start small but move forward steadily each day. You will be surprised how quickly your life changes once you start to experience success in these small ways. Each success will build on the one before.

Thank you so much for this website. I’m a budding corporate trainer and I suffer from anxiety. I sometimes go blank while giving a presentation, The word that I’m looking for just eludes my mind and I end up making a fool of myself. Can you please teach me any technique that I can employ to avoid these situations or rather salvage my esteem when I go blank. Your help will be much appreciated ma’am.

Can you please suggest some books on overcoming presentation anxiety,

About Presentation Prep

Being able to speak in public can change your life! Presentation Prep is your complete, free guide to delivering speeches, lectures, and presentations more successfully and confidently. Whether you're a native English-speaker who suffers from public speaking anxiety, or a non-native speaker who needs guidelines for presenting to international audiences, this site will give you everything you need. Presentation Prep is written by Rebecca Ezekiel, an experienced corporate trainer who specializes in the areas of communications, presentations, and cross-cultural skills. Her online English language training videos are watched by millions of students worldwide.

Reconsolidation and extinction are dissociable and mutually exclusive processes: behavioral and molecular evidence

Affiliation.

• 1 Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
• PMID: 24523532
• PMCID: PMC3921417
• DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4001-13.2014

Memory persistence is critically influenced by retrieval. In rats, a single presentation of a conditioned fear stimulus induces memory reconsolidation and fear memory persistence, while repeated fear cue presentations result in loss of fear through extinction. These two opposite behavioral outcomes are operationally linked by the number of cue presentations at memory retrieval. However, the behavioral properties and mechanistic determinants of the transition have not yet been explored; in particular, whether reconsolidation and extinction processes coexist or are mutually exclusive, depending on the exposure to non-reinforced retrieval events. We characterized both behaviorally and molecularly the transition from reconsolidation to extinction of conditioned fear and showed that an increase in calcineurin (CaN) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) supports the shift from fear maintenance to fear inhibition. Gradually increasing the extent of retrieval induces a gradual decrease in freezing responses to the conditioned stimulus and a gradual increase in amygdala CaN level. This newly synthesized CaN is required for the extinction, but not the reconsolidation, of conditioned fear. During the transition from reconsolidation to extinction, we have revealed an insensitive state of the fear memory where NMDA-type glutamate receptor agonist and antagonist drugs are unable either to modulate CaN levels in the BLA or alter the reconsolidation or extinction processes. Together, our data indicate both that reconsolidation and extinction are mutually exclusive processes and also reveal the presence of a transitional, or "limbo," state of the original memory between these two alternative outcomes of fear memory retrieval, when neither process is engaged.

Keywords: calcineurin; extinction; fear memory; reconsolidation; transition.

Publication types

• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
• Amygdala / metabolism*
• Behavior, Animal*
• Blotting, Western
• Calcineurin / metabolism*
• Extinction, Psychological / physiology*
• Memory / physiology*
• Calcineurin

Grants and funding

• G1002231/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
• 9536855/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
• G1000183/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
• 093875/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom
• G0001354/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
• WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom