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Public speaking is the number one fear of the average person. It’s
a statistic that’s repeated constantly. But the question remains:
“Why?”
There
are plenty of psychologists that will give you a theory. But here’s
another thought. Could it be that we fear public speaking because
it is an unnatural act for the human species? Put another way, if
you look at the evidence, humans were not designed to stand in front
of large groups and speak. As a result, most of us feel
uncomfortable doing it.
Consider the evidence:
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Exhibit A:
Our voices. We have soft voices that obviously weren’t designed
to address large groups of people. If we were intended to address
large groups, wouldn’t we have voices that didn’t need microphones
to be heard in large auditoriums?
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Exhibit B:
Our stature. If we were intended to speak to large groups,
we would be much taller. That way we wouldn’t have to stand on
platforms when addressing large groups.
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Exhibit C:
Our facial features. One of the most expressive things about our
bodies is our faces. Yet we have small eyes and mouths. Our
facial expressions are only effective when speaking in intimate
settings where your listeners can really read your face.
The
number one way to overcome a fear of public speaking is to rehearse
like crazy. Next time you’re feeling really nervous about a
presentation, practice like crazy. You’ll still be nervous. But
you’ll do a lot better than you expect.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to give presentations that
connect with the audience. If you’re interested in becoming a great
communicator give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website
at
www.speechworks.net |
