Seriously, what’s the big deal? But everyone I meet is varying degrees of terrified about it. I don’t have any fear at all. Admittedly, I am fearless in most of my life, but it seems like a completely ridiculous fear - note, I’m not referring to phobias. I’m referring to people who speak in public almost every day and yet still claim to be terrified of those crowds.
What do you think they are going to do, bite you? Now if you are up there speaking about controversial things, I could understand, but if you’re just making a presentation, well, I make those a couple of times a week. I just make sure I have my shit together and am prepared, and even if you take my stuff away, I can do a lot of stuff on the fly.
I always said that if you came to up to me and said, “You’re giving a speech to 500 people in five minutes,” my reaction would be “On what topic?”
And that actually happened to me a few months ago. Albacon had Ramsay Campbell as a guest of honor, but he couldn’t make it and agreed to be interviewed on Skype. I went to see it and I hear the con chair asking for me. He tells me I’m doing in the interview. Now. It was the first I’d heard of it, so I had about 30 seconds to prepare. And I had read next to nothing about Campbell’s work and couldn’t even name a title.
Luckily, Ramsay loves to talk, so I’d ask him a question and listen closely to what he said to get ideas for my next question (sometimes even two questions). But it went very well and was considered a highlight of the con. That’s more due to him than to me, of course, but I did manage to avoid any lulls where nothing was happening.
I stopped writing out speeches back in high school. I just jotted down a page of notes and referred to them. It worked out well one time when I had to give a report on the Odd Fellows UN Pilgrimage (HS students spend a week in NYC, including time at the UN). I spoke second, and the other person did a narrative of everything we had done. If I had written something out, it would have been the exact same speech. Luckily, I used notes and there was one thing I had done that she hadn’t, and gave the report on that.
I think it’s because 1) I like being the center of attention, 2) I’m articulate, and 3) I know that nothing bad will happen if I make a mistake (many audiences don’t even notice them).
I don’t get nervous all the time. If I have plenty of time to rehearse what I’m going to say and I know the folks in the audience, then I tend not to worry. I also tend not to worry when I’m speaking about something I know like the back of my hand.
But sometimes I do get nervous. If I’m speaking in front of an audience of strangers or discussing a topic that isn’t exactly in my area of expertise, I might be a little worried I might screw up. Also, on any given day I can have a silver tongue or one made out of lead. I’m given to stammering and other dysfluencies. I tic sometimes too. Maybe I should grow a thicker skin, but sometimes I don’t want to give a talk when I’m feeling like I might say or do something that detracts from the professional image I’d like to present.
I totally get why people are afraid of public speaking. But I don’t think people should hide behind the fear.
Yeah, I don’t really mind it. For work I routinely have to lead presentations and facilitate meetings, so it’s just something I’m used to. Occasionally I get asked to speak to larger groups.
Honestly, in a room larger than 20 or so people, I don’t really notice the crowd. I just feel like I’m speaking at a backdrop of anonymous faces. Smaller groups are actually more difficult because I have to pay more attention to people who are a lot closer.
“Facilitation” is actually a lot harder (I actually don’t care for it). That’s where you have to lead a discussion with a large group of people. Presenting, people just shut up and listen, but in a facilitation session, it’s easy for big personalities to derail the discussion.
It’s weird. I’m not actively afraid of it. I can practice up to it and know my stuff and feel very confident that I can do a good presentation. I know that nothing bad will happen (even if it does the audience usually doesn’t notice) and I don’t feel scared or embarrassed or anxious. Well, maybe a tiny bit anxious but I figure that is normal. When I get up there though, I enter some sort of twilight zone. I kind of black out mentally while continuing on autopilot. I am, apparently, a pretty good public speaker. My audience has said so afterwards. I don’t really remember anything that I do up there. Afterwards, I shake uncontrollably for about an hour and break out in a cold sweat. My muscles don’t want to work properly and I feel weak. But I certainly didn’t go into it feeling like it was the end of the world or with butterflies in my stomach. So I don’t know! I feel like I am not bothered by public speaking, but my body certainly is. I used to be deathly scared as a kid, to the point of passing out, but I got over the top-level psychological stuff. I guess deep down it’s still there though.
As long as I know my topic, I do not mind public speaking at all. One part of that might be the beta-blocker (Atenolol) I take as part of my hypertension regime.
Given that I’ve taught public speaking for the last 30 years…
Nah. Doesn’t bother me a bit. Like the others, I just need to know the topic. Then the problem is shutting me up.
Possibly because I was an altar boy, getting up in front of a church-full of people every week, performing in front of large audiences has never bothered me. I’ve acted on stage and on camera, and I’ve given lots of lectures in schools and universities, at conferences and conventions. I’ve given readings I’ve performed impromptu.
No problems cat all.
It’s never bothered me other than momentary stage-fright flutters right before I’m “on”. I was a teacher in an earlier life. Before that, I double majored in English and theater.
I also feel like sometimes people use the “fear” to get out of having to do it. That is, if they absolutely have to, I see them do fine, and then they just whine about it.
I’ve also seen real fear so I know it’s a thing. I’m not saying they’re all making it up. I remember in college a woman (adult woman, we were all going back to school) was part of our group presentation and had an incredibly difficult time with it, shaking with fear, almost crying, but the thing was, all of the class and the teacher were extra nice to her and very patient. No one mocked her or expressed irritation, and we, her teammates, tried to be as helpful as possible.
But then I hear of beautiful, personable people, who make speeches almost every day, who claim to be afraid. What?! If frumpy middle-aged me can get up there then you get your ass up there too.
For me, my main anxieties surrounding public speaking are:
Doing poorly and disappointing someone, or otherwise tarnishing the event (e.g. introducing someone who is being honored, giving toasts at celebrations, etc…)
Damaging my reputation in a professional setting (screwing up a presentation so badly that I lose credibility in the eyes of my peers)
When there are few consequences to screwing up a talk, such as when speaking to a bunch of strangers that don’t matter to me/I’ll never see again/whatever, there’s no problem.
The trick is to know the beginning and end perfectly. The rest will sort itself out.
As long as I am prepared I have no problem whatsoever. I usually am on the preaching schedule at my church three or four times a year. In fact, my time is coming in a few weeks…got to start working on that.
ETA: I do respect folks who have fear of public speaking, mainly because my better half has terrible anxiety whenever she has to say anything in front of a group, and this holds true in Portuguese as well, so it’s not an ESL issue.
I love public speaking, but I’ve done a lot of it.
It’s a matter of practice. Practice is everything. It was scary the first number of times I did it. It’s scary to everyone. Skiing is scary the first time you do it, too. Do it hundreds of times, not so much.
I have two coworkers who practically refuse to ever give talks. I say practically because they have in the past. But it is not something they’d ever agree to do voluntarily.
They don’t think they are beautiful or personal. They don’t think they are smart. They lack self-confidence. They think they are imposters.
I have no fear of public speaking. And yet I suffer from nearly crippling social anxiety. If I’m going to a party where I don’t know everyone, I can’t even enter the room without two drinks, let alone talk.
But public speaking? No problem. I guess it’s because, in my mind, it’s not really about me, it’s about the subject matter. Or something. But I’m fine with it. With or without preparation.
I mean, I can’t really talk about nuclear physics, or Uzbek history, or something I really know nothing about. But generally I’m OK.
