FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Presented to:
Sir Zia ur Rehman
GROUP MEMBER'S:
● AMINA ARSHAD (M18BBA014)
● AMINA ALEEM (M18BBA018)
● AYESHA RAMZAN (M18BBA042)
● MEHAK ALI (M18BBA058)
● IQRA BABAR (M18BBA029)
Questions:
1. What is Glossophobia?
2. What is Fight and flight response?
3. Why do many people experience glossophobia?
4. What are the symptoms of fear of public speaking?
5. What are the causes of Fear in public speaking?
6. How does this fear overcome?
FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
1. What is fear of public speaking?
The scientific name for fear of public speaking is Glossophobia.
The word glossophobia derives from the Greek word "glossa", meaning tongue,
and " phobos", fear.
Glossophobia is the 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.
Glossophobia is a very common phobia characterized by a strong fear of public
speaking. Individuals with glossophobia may avoid speaking in public, as they
typically experience fear and anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people.
Examples
● Musicians, actresses and actors performing in front of huge crowds.
● Business people making presentations to their team.
● Calling a friend or colleague about something.
What does it feel like?
● Rapid Heartbeat
● Trembling
● Sweating
● Vomiting
● Shivering
● Shaking
Places of Glossophobia
Glossophobia commonly found in schools, colleges, universities, offices, in
crowds and even in groups of fewer people.
Percentage of Glossophobia
Some experts estimate that 77% of people have some level of anxiety regarding
public speaking. This 77% of people include children, young persons, Actors,
musicians, politicians or even presidents.
Social Phobia
The subset of Glossophobia is Social Phobia. Social anxiety disorder (also called
social Phobia) is a mental health condition. It is an intense, persistent fear of
being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and your
other day-to-day activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends.
People with social anxiety disorder are even afraid to eat in public; they feel
embarrassed while eating.
Fight and Flight Response:
When you’re confronted with something that you find terrifying, such as physical
danger or extreme humiliation, your body reacts physiologically with the fight-or-
flight response, also known as the acute stress response [2].
The term “fight-or-flight” refers to when we lived in actual dangerous
environments in our ancestral times. Our predecessors often faced situations
where they had to fight or flee real danger to stay alive. The acute stress response
prepared their bodies with the necessary tools to either fight or to run away to
safety.
Although we live in much safer environments today, and we don’t typically have
to run away from bears in the jungle to stay alive, that part of our brain still
works in the same way. When we perceive ourselves to be in a stressful situation,
like giving a speech and risking failure and humiliation, our bodies react with the
fight-or-flight response.
Why do so many people experience
glossophobia?
All of this got me wondering, what was it about public speaking that caused so
many of us to panic? What is it that we are really afraid of?
According to an article written by Theo Tsaousides, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist,
one of the factors that contribute to glossophobia is how we view ourselves. It’s
often our own subconscious thoughts and beliefs that create the fear that
debilitates us in front of an audience.
Here are some of the factors that could affect our mindset when it comes to
public speaking.
Perceived high stakes
If you imagine that the stakes are high, you’re more likely to be nervous about
your speech.These unrealistic expectations and thoughts existed only in our
imagination that lowered our confidence level.
The pressure to “perform” for an audience
According to Mr. Tsaousides, we can sabotage ourselves by thinking of our
speech as a performance, instead of talking to a group of people [3].
Negative self-talk
Another factor that contributes to glossophobia is what we tell ourselves, and
how we view our ability to speak in public. But it’s not like I was actively telling
myself that I’m terrible at giving speeches, it’s more of a subconscious thing.
Most of this was happening unconsciously. Left unchecked, our thoughts and
beliefs about ourselves can have a significant impact on how we act and behave in
life.
The fear of negative judgment
This one ties in with the high stakes. If you think the stakes are high, then you
care a lot more about how your audience judges your speech.
And if you already have a negative perception of your public speaking abilities,
subconsciously, you’re going to expect that the audience won’t like your speech,
even if there is no indication or evidence to support your assumption.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF FEAR
IF PUBLIC SPEAKING (GLOSSOPHOBIA)?
The fear of public speaking is more common in younger patients as compared to
older ones and may be more prevalent in females as compared to males,”
Some individuals tend to have more anxiety related to certain circumstances in
which there may be a fear of evaluation and embarrassment.
Speech anxiety can range from a slight feeling of “nervousness” to a nearly
incapacitating fear.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms of glossophobia can lead to acute hearing loss or other
physical symptoms. When the mind is cluttered with thoughts, extreme tension is
developed which affects a person's hearing.
- Squeaky Voice
- Dry mouth (shortage of Saliva)
- Increase in heart beat
- Sweating, Pale color
- Trembling
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Tingling sensation
- Butterflies in Stomach and cramps in stomach
- Muscle tension
- Nervousness and Panic attack
- Imbalance posture
Verbal Symptoms
Some of the verbal symptoms that develop from glossophobia can cause the
person to strain while trying to speak.Speech anxiety can lead to dysfunctional
speech and stammers or tics, since the intense anxiety may prevent one from
speaking properly. Speech disorders can develop as well, which are caused by
stress-induced reactions during public speaking.
- Lump in Throat
- Excessive Coughing
- Trembling or Shaky Voice
- Vocalized pauses
Cognitive Symptoms
Thoughts and feelings that arise during public speaking. Some people might
think that I am out of place or I am not fitting into this situation. While some may
even think that why am I hare? Cognitive symptoms show what's going on in the
mind of individuals facing the fear of public speaking.
- Feeling of Being Stared at and being vulnerable
- Defeating Doubts
- Shyness
- Confusion
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF FEAR OF
PUBLIC SPEAKING?
Glossophobia refers to a strong fear of public speaking. It is a specific type of
phobia, an anxiety disorder characterized by a persistent and excessive fear of an
object or situation.
Individuals who suffer from glossophobia typically experience fear and anxiety
when speaking in front of a group of people and, as a result, may avoid speaking
in public in an effort to avoid being embarrassed or rejected by others. Over time,
individuals with glossophobia may experience negative impacts on their mental
health and success at work or school. These types of people experience fear while
walking, talking or doing anything publicly. They can’t speak in front of people.
Major reasons of glossophobia are:
1. Environmental factors
2. Genetic factors
3. Narcissism
4. Fear of being Judged
Environmental factors:
Most phobias appear to show up out of nowhere, frequently beginning in youth or
early adulthood. A phobia might emerge due to a blend of hereditary inclinations
and other ecological, natural, and mental elements. Individuals who dread public
talking might have genuine anxiety toward being humiliated or dismissed.
Common environmental factors affecting glossophobia include:
Inherited traits and family history. A person is more likely to have
glossophobia when a close family member has an anxiety disorder.
Brain physiology. A part of the brain called the amygdala manages a person’s
fear response, so when this structure is overactive, stress, anxiety, and worry will
be heightened.
Parental influence. Having a parent who displays high anxiety when speaking
or who is overprotective increases this risk.
Genetic factors:
The fear of public speaking may be triggered by inherent genetic factors
coupled with psychological, or biological factors. Individuals encounter
symptoms when the fearful gene is activated. The gene is acquired from a family
with a history of glossophobia and other related fears.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) may also come into play when tracing the root
cause of glossophobia. Social anxiety disorder is a chronic mental health
condition that causes individuals to have uncontrollable and irrational fear or
anxiety in social interactions. Such individuals have a heightened sense of
insecurity, self-consciousness, and discomfort in social settings and therefore
worry about being judged by other people.
Narcissism:
Narcissists are anxious for social approval or attention (Narcissistic Supply). The
narcissist cannot control this need and the attendant anxiety because he requires
external feedback to regulate his labile sense of self-worth. This dependence
makes most narcissists irritable. They fly into rages and have a very low threshold
of frustration.
Like patients who suffer from Panic Attacks and Glossophobia, narcissists are
terrified of being embarrassed or criticized in public. Consequently, most
narcissists fail to function well in various settings (social, occupational, romantic,
etc.).
Fear of being Judged:.
One of the most important reasons for Glossophobia is people think that they are
getting judged by the people and they feel fear while talking in front of people.
The tough-love message here is that people really don't care about you. They're in
the audience to get something out of your lecture, presentation, or speech. They
want their time to be well spent. Watching a speaker fail is embarrassing for
everyone. So the audience is actually pulling for you!
How does this fear overcome?
If your fear of public speaking is severe or interfering with your everyday life,
consult your doctor. They can work with you to develop a targeted treatment
plan. Options for treatment plans include:
Psychotherapy
Many people are able to overcome their glossophobia with cognitive behavioral
therapy. Working with a therapist can help you identify the root cause of your
anxiety. For example, you may discover that you fear ridicule, rather than
speaking, because you were mocked as a child.
Together, you and your therapist will explore your fears and the negative
thoughts that go with them. Your therapist can teach you ways to reshape any
negative thoughts.
Medications
If therapy doesn’t relieve your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe one of
several medications used to treat anxiety disorders.
Beta-blockers are usually used to treat high blood pressure and some heart
disorders. They also can be helpful in controlling the physical symptoms of
glossophobia.
Antidepressants are used to treat depression, but they also can be effective in
controlling social anxiety.
Other strategies for overcoming glossophobia
There are some strategies that you can use in combination with traditional
treatment or on their own.
For example, you might find it beneficial to take a public speaking class or
workshop. Many are developed for people who have glossophobia. You may also
wish to check out Toastmasters International, an organization that trains people
in public speaking.
Here are some other tips to help you navigate public speaking situations:
In preparation
Know your material. This doesn’t mean you should memorize your presentation,
but you should know what you want to say and have an outline of the key points.
Give special focus to the introduction, because this is when you are likely to be
most nervous.
Script your presentation. And rehearse it until you have it down cold. Then throw
away the script.
Practice often. You should continue practicing until you’re comfortable with what
you’re going to say. Then practice more. Your confidence will increase as you
realize that you know what you’re going to say.
Videotape your presentation. You can note if changes are needed. And you may
be pleasantly surprised at how authoritative you look and sound.
Work audience questions into your routine. Jot down a list of questions you
might be asked and be prepared to answer them. When appropriate, plan to
involve the audience in your presentation by asking questions.
