What is fear of public speaking?
It is a very common phobia in which people view having to speak in public as a stressful situation, which can lead to a paralyzing experience.
What are the symptoms of fear of public speaking?
Symptoms can be of several types:
- Physical: nausea, acute hearing, dilated pupils, increased blood pressure and heart rate, sweating, dry mouth, increased oxygen intake, stiff back and neck muscles.
- Verbal: tense or trembling voice, repetition of “crutches”, blocking.
- Non-verbal: excessive body movement, touching the hair, scratching the nose, folding papers, covering the mouth, avoiding eye contact, looking only at a fixed point.
What are the causes of fear of public speaking?
There can be several causes:
- Traumatic incidents
- Accumulation of avoidance of public speaking
- Self-destructive thoughts, such as that what is said is not important, fear of failure or the obligation to be perfect.
Can fear of public speaking be prevented?
If there is already a certain respect for public speaking but it is not serious, it is advisable to follow some guidelines to overcome it:
- Know the subject and the content
- Organize yourself
- Practice
- Visualize success
- Breathe deeply
- Focusing on the content and not the audience
- Acknowledging success
What is the treatment for fear of public speaking?
To treat this problem, it can be done through psychological therapies, which consist of working on various aspects of speech, especially verbal and non-verbal, but also physical.