Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, is one of the most common phobias. It is typically classified as a social anxiety disorder or social phobia. For some people, speaking in public is a stressful situation that can trigger a fight-or-flight response, the human body’s physiological response to perceived threats. For some glossophobics, the physical symptoms that accompany speech anxiety can be debilitating.
Leaders in neuroscience and psychiatry suggest that therapy can help people with glossophobia learn how to cope with their public speaking fears over time. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions with a licensed therapist can help patients get to the root cause of their anxiety and equip them with the skills they need to overcome it. Exposure therapy can also be effective.
It's tempting to write out your speech in full and read from a prepared script, but your words won’t sound genuine if you’re reading them verbatim from a piece of paper instead of addressing your audience directly. Even if you’re not reading from a piece of paper, you’ll still sound stiff if you’re delivering a memorized speech.
Breathing exercises are relaxation techniques used to calm the body and mind before a public speaking engagement. If you feel a surge of anxiety or other adverse symptoms, try taking slow, deep breaths. Breathe through your nose for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and breathe out through your mouth for six seconds.
If you’re speaking to a very large crowd, look just over the crowd’s eye line. That will make it appear that you’re looking at everyone while giving you the personal comfort of not having to be constantly reminded of the crowd’s daunting size. In a smaller crowd, find that one person who’s making direct eye contact with you and hanging on to your every word. Speak to them. They’ll make you feel confident about your speech.
