How to overcome the fear of public speaking

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Fear of public speaking is a social phobia that harms a person's ability to act in front of others. Here we tell you how to overcome it!

The fear of speaking in public is something that we have been carrying on many occasions since childhood, because who has never "frozen" in front of the schoolmates when you need to make a presentation?

Leer en español: Cómo superar el miedo a hablar en público

That fear can accompany a person throughout his life and damage his personal relationships due to shyness or mistrust. Fortunately, there some tips you can use to overcome the fear of speaking in public.

Glossophobia or the fear of speaking in public is considered a social phobia, that is, an irrational fear that distorts the analysis of experiences, be it one or several situations that include socialization. This means that those who have social phobia, have constant negative thoughts that can impair their ability to act in front of other people, such as the fear of being rejected by them.

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Signs of glossophobia

The symptoms of fear of speaking in public include anxiety and nervousness before the event that involves talking to a group of people. This includes seminars, presentations, and school work. The physical symptoms include:
•    Panic attacks accompanied by tremors or sweating
•    Nausea and vomiting in more extreme cases
•    Dry mouth
•    Muscles of the neck and back rigid
•    Weak or shaky voice
•    Increase in blood pressure
•    Increase in heart rate
 

What are the consequences?

The fear to speak in public can be a set of many situations that interfere in our emotional well-being and affect our quality of life. Therefore, many people suffering from glossophobia avoid communication situations in public because they suffer and are distressed.

What causes the fear of speaking in public?

Before talking about how to overcome the fear of speaking in public, it is important to know what causes it. According to 2knowmyself these are the reasons:
•    Fear of forgetting everything that is going to be said, of mispronouncing some words and publicly embarrassing
•    Fear that people laugh, get bored or whisper among themselves
•    Fear that people will notice your trembling while talking
•    Afraid to be judged
•    Low self-esteem
In addition, psychotherapy or speech courses can help you to lose the fear of speaking publicly.

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Tips for public speaking

To lose the fear of speaking in public you can try to train in front of the mirror to boost your performance and identify points of improvement, you can also expose your ideas or your speech to a small group of people you trust.

According to the newspaper  20 minutos you should practice breathing techniques to stay calm and carry out self-talk. The latter means that you must forget the idea that self-talking is odd or crazy because this is the best way to gain self-confidence.

Universia recommends not speaking excessively fast not to give away your nervousness, nor to excuse yourself, that is, do not say things like "Excuse me, I'm ashamed". Speak slowly and calmly and be brief. Relax and do not worry if you forget something, nothing bad will happen. As you can see, the fear of speaking publicly can be overcome and will only depend on you.

LatinAmerican Post | Flavia Porro

Translated from: 'Cómo superar el miedo a hablar en público'