I am teaching a session of Public Speaking this semester. As always, on the first day of class, I report a statistic that, although strongly supported, always seems a little hard to buy. It is:
Polls indicate that a majority of people fear public speaking more than death or dismemberment.
I have some numbers, but you get the general idea. I report the stat for humor more than anything, but then many students nod their heads in agreement. (??????)
Here's my question. Is there any truth to this, or is this simply a case of I'll answer on my immediate fears because there truly isn't a chance I will be killed after my answers? (This is much the same as the question, "would you do something nasty for a million dollars?" We answer no, but I wonder if the answer would change if a cool million were really sitting on a table for the taking).
I would also like to hear from those who are that deathly afraid of public speaking. Tell me why you have the fear. Specifically what do you fear?
It would be nice to have this information (the students aren't very helpful with this as they are new to a class and stay pretty quiet for the first couple of weeks). I could then set up some exercises to try to lessen the fear.
I am a public speaker for a living (a computer instructor) and have spoken in front of a few thousand people at my college graduation, and it doesn’t really bother me too much. I get butterflies from time to time (if it’s a big group or I’m not very familiar with the subject I"m teaching), but normalls it’s no big deal. My co-workers, however, can’t understand for the life of them how I get up in front of a room full of business people and teach. I don’t get the big deal, but there are 35 of them, and not one will do it, even to substitute on occasion. I am a real extrovert, though…love kareoke and stuff like that…if I’m at a show and they need a volunteer from the audience, you can bet I’m up on my feet. So maybe it’s an introvert/extrovert issue. I also have good self-esteem, which most people don’t have. Could be that, too.
An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; A pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.
Well, I was a standup comic for about a year many moons ago, and while there were times I thought surely I was going to throw up my stomach right on to the stage, it was overall the most satisfying and exciting time of my life. (I actually came in 10th in a field of 110 comics in a citywide competition. I have a video of me killing a packed house at the Improv. My moment of glory…everyone should have one.)
To me, public speaking is utterly thrilling. The fear that I have about it isn’t simply speaking in front of alot of people, it’s speaking in front of a lot of people and sucking at it. If you could be assured of being brilliant, fascinating, and adored, I don’t think anyone would fear it.
It’s like anything: the risks are worth the rewards. Assuming you find the admiration/interest/approval of large groups of people you don’t know very rewarding. Some people don’t.
I fear public speaking more than death or dismemberment. Mind you, I don’t particularily fear public speaking, but death and dismemberment are even more rarely on my mind.
I suspect that if you asked an individual whether they would rather give a 5 minute speech without adequate preparation, or have even only the top joint of their little finger removed, that individual will give the speech.
But being called upon to speak publicly considerably more often than sacrificing life or limb, the public speaking actually worries us more frequently.
The origin of this seems to have been reported in the Sunday Times of London in October of 1973; the results became widely known when the survey was printed in THE BOOK OF LISTS. It was taken by a team of market researchers from 3000 U.S. inhabitants.
The fears were:
Speaking before a group 41%
Heights 32
Insects and bugs 22
Financial Problems 22
Deep Water 22
Sickness 19
Death 19
I don’t know anything about the techniques of the survey. I suspect that many people didn’t mention “death” because it was such an obvious fear that they didn’t think of it.
I feel fine about public speaking - until I get up there. My mouth dries up, my stomach cramps, and I forget everything about the topic I was supposed to talk about.
And it doesn’t help to talk about a “familiar object” - I forget it still the same. Or I lose all sense of order and rattle off words in random order.
So the thought of public speaking doesn’t scare me, actually DOING it does. I think repetition (having to do, say, two speeches a week instead of three and entire semester) would be the only way to quell my nerves.
I am one of those have have an absolute fear of public speaking. I hate being the center of attention…I hate all eyes on me.
When I got married one of the reasons I did it in a courthouse was that I didn’t want to walk down the aisle and have everyone look at me. The fear is that strong.
In highschool in my senior year we had to give a 5-minute speech, with no notes, no podium, nothing. If it was under 5 minutes we flunked. I chose to flunk. I tried and tried to pschyche my self up, took advice about how to alleviate the fear,and I thought I’d be ok. I talked to the teacher and he tried to calm me and give me advice. He said that assignment was a good one to prepare us for real life. My turn came and I started shaking, breathing heavy, and wanted to cry and bolt out of the room. The teacher asked me if i was ready, my lip quivered from trying to hold in my tears, and I told him no. I just couldn’t do it. I still can’t to this day. In fact, those feelings are coming back to me now as I type it, after all these years (it was 1986).
That’s one of the reasons I like my job…it’s one-on-one communication. I don’t ever have to speak to a crowd.
MaryAnn
Sometimes life is so great you just gotta muss up your hair and quack like a duck!
I am a very shy person. And I am extremely afraid of speaking in public. I don’t even have to stand up to be afraid. If I’m sitting down in my chair, and I have to say my name, I get nervous, and my hands start to sweat.
When I had to take speech 101 in college, I was a joke. I knew days ahead of time when, and what I was going to say in my speech. But an hour before class, my hands would start to sweat, and I’d start to yawn uncontrolably (sp?). (I yawn A LOT when I’m nervous) As I gave my speeches, my mouth was incredibly dry, my voice trembled, and my knees wobbled.
I don’t really know why I’m so afraid, but I’d pay dearly to have the guts to do what millions of others do, and that’s speak in front of people comfortably. I think most of my fear comes from everyone looking right at me. It’s the whole “center of attention” thing.
So, I envy those of you who can speak in public without fear. You are truly amazing people to me. I don’t understand how you can possibly do it.
I have no fear of public speaking; the bigger the crowd, the easier it is.
Part of this is personality, of course. Part is rooted in the fear of making a mistake and be embarassed. Hint: if you make a minor mistake, move on. Most people won’t notice it. If someone calls you on it, say, "You’re right. What I meant to say was … " and you’ll be covered.
I’m a lawyer - it’s never really been much of a problem for me - don’t know why. Of course, my first court appearences were in small centres, with no audience other than the judge, the other counsel, and the parties, so I remember them as rather cozy. I found I was nervous the first time I appeared in each level of court, but that was more just the novelty of it, learning how each court conducted itself, and so on.
As well, the type of court work I do involves a great deal of legal argument, not examinations of witnesses. If you have a good opposing counsel, and an alert judge, then it becomes an intellectual debate, and I tend to forget there is anyone else there but the other lawyer and the judge.
One key point is preparation - if you don’t know your stuff, you will hate the experience of public speaking. If you know your material, and can argue and answer coherently, it can be one of the most heady experiences available - there are few other things like the rush I get from participating in a well-argued, fully debated case.
I love public speaking and I get a big rush from doing it. I’ve noticed that people that can’t or won’t do it just look at you with awe as you do it. Sure, there have been times when I WAS nervous about doing it, but once I get going it’s OK.
I’ve read that public speaking is one of the greatest fears, but never read about death being preferable – makes no sense to me. I’m basically a shy person, but I also don’t like to be defeated by unreasonable fears, and decided this was one I could conquer. I also figured that it would help with the shyness thing. I grew to like it in the context of a teaching venue – I administered a deferred compensation plan (government version of a 401K) in my agency and went around to the different departments making presentations to relatively small groups of employees. I’m sure I would still have stage fright if I had to give a speech to an auditorium full of people. But public speaking is like anything else – the more you do it the more comfortable you become. I think a key factor is knowing your subject – feeling as though you are at that moment the expert and imparting useful information (as I was in the instance described above). I felt that I was helping people do something that was good for them.
well, who worries about death? just in general? i worry more about public speaking than death. i worry more about spiders than death. i worry more about popular music than death. death really isn’t on the mind of most (sane) people that much and in the “battle of worries” it usually ends up losing to things that are more immediate. is it more likely that within this week i will die, or that i will be asked to speak to a person or group of people i don’t know well? almost certainly that i will be asked to speak to a group, especially since i am beginning high school this week. only impractical people worry about death.
In high school, you couldn’t have gotten me to speak in front of an audience at gunpoint.
For some reason, I just grew used to the idea, and now, as a teacher, I love it! I try to encourage lots of participation–more like a conversation between friends. It’s a kick!
Give me a classroom with a hundred or so students… :::eyes glazing over:::
–Kalél Common ¢ for all ages…
Doncha just hate word problems?
“If it takes a four-month old woodpecker, with a rubber bill, 9 months and 13 days to peck a hole through a Cypress log that is big enough to make 117 shingles, and it takes 165 shingles to make a bundle worth 93¢, how long will it take a cross-eyed grasshopper, with a cork leg, to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle?”
I suffer from big-time stage fright, both when speaking in public and when performing as a musician. Always have. But when I was on the radio, I could go forever, with no problems. Weird.
I myself enjoy public speaking. I do get butterflies, but they usually go away once I get started. I always got my highest marks in school on the projects that required me to speak in front of the class, drama in particular.
PLD, I know what you mean about the stage fright as a musician. I’m not a player, but I did marry one, and he has the same problem, as do many of his musician friends. My husband is the lead guitar player for a blues band, so he’s out front ALOT. One thing I’ve never quite been able to understand, though, is just HOW you guys can fake being so cool & confident so darn well. I mean, I’m a good public speaker, but my nervousness is still apparent at times. My husband swears he’s just shaking in his boots, but you sure can’t tell it at all.
Wow! MaryAnnQ, our experiences were so similar it’s eerie. I also chose to flunk a speech rather than give it. Of course, that followed a previous speech that I prepared for, gave, and flunked. After the first one, I decided that since 1/2 of the final grade was a written test, I would focus on that. I aced it and got a ‘C’ in the course. I think I would choose the pinky removal over the speech. Public speaking (to me that means speaking to anyone other than my immediate family) makes me nauseous, sweat profusely and stinkily, and suffer extreme brain lock-up.
I have split reactions when it comes to public speaking. I’m not very good at telling a joke to a crowd, or relating humorous anecdotes. I just don’t have the public confidence and knack for these types of situations. In fact, they make my quite nervous.
On the other hand, I taught college biology classes for 4 years, and was never nervous or had stage fright (after the first time, that is). I actually really enjoyed teaching. Some of my classes were the 100+ student lecture hall types, and others were on a much more intimate scale. Either way, no problem. Likewise, I can get in a political debate without feeling self-conscious or nervous. But have to tell a joke or try to be interesting off the cuff, fugheddaboutit!
Adam/ARG - I can (probably) fix your yawning problem. Some of my students (martial arts) have this happen to them on occasion in the middle of workouts. Used to happen to me too. Anyway, the reason why you yawn in this case isn’t because of tiredness but because of a lack of oxygen. Answer: Take a breath! I bet if you stop and examine your behaviour when you are nervous you will notice that you will tend to hold your breath more.
Being in a public place in general scares me. I have to have a specific purpose in mind at all times, or I just don’t go. Public speaking scares me, but not all of the time. I can usually detach myself if I have enough time to understand the subject well before I must speak. My palms still get sweaty, my scalp still itches, but I don’t freeze up.
High-school speech class was an absolute nightmare for me. I had to make one speech a week, on average, so I got less than a week to prepare. This, with five other subjects to study, a job, and classmates that looked for new and creative ways to pick on me. Just try spending your only day off hiking to the library, researching for the expressed purpose of standing in front of a room to get stared at. Even worse, the class was before lunch, so herds of people attacked me while I was trying to eat. (Interesting speech you made, HaHaHa. Where do you come up with this stuff? HaHaHa. Why are you shaking? (mock concerned look)) Then, the story of my lunchtime panic spread around school and it happened again in study hall. About mid-year, they just gave up the torture routine and started hissing insults at me in the hallway. Those, I can handle.
