What Is Glossophobia?

What exactly is glossophobia and how do you fight against it? Glossophobia, or a fear of public speaking, is a very common phobia and one that is believed to affect up to 75% of the population. Additionally, some individuals may feel a slight nervousness at the very thought of public speaking, while others experience full-on panic and fear. They may try to avoid public speaking situations at all cost. Altogether, if they must speak in public, they endure shaking hands and a weak, quavering voice. How to overcome a fear of public speaking? With persistence and preparation, it’s entirely possible to beat glossophobia.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C. S. Lewis

Glossophobia Symptoms

Glossophobia causes a variety of symptoms such as:

Firstly,iIncreased blood pressure
Dry mouth
A stiffening of the upper back muscles
Nausea and a feeling of panic when faced with having to speak in public
Intense anxiety at the thought of speaking in front of a group.
Rapid heartbeat
Trembling
Sweating
Nausea or vomiting
Shortness of breath or hyperventilating
Dizziness
Muscle tension
Lastly, urge to get away

“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” – Carrie Fisher

Glossophobia Causes

While the exact cause of glossophobia is unknown, this disorder may be due to a combination of genetic, environmental, biological, and psychological factors. Consequently, genetic factors could play a role, as individuals with a family history of glossophobia may be more likely to exhibit it themselves. Also, environmental and demographic factors, such as education and social upbringing, may also contribute to glossophobia. Moreover, past negative experiences involving a public speaking event (e.g., an individual was ridiculed, embarrassed, or rejected while giving a speech) may also contribute to the development of glossophobia.

Specific triggers of glossophobia will often vary from one individual to another. The most common trigger, however, is the anticipation of presenting in front of an audience. Additional triggers may include social interactions, starting a new job, or going to school.

Therefore, testing conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health found that the brains of people with social anxiety have a heightened response when negative comments were read to them. Hence, the affected areas were those responsible for self-evaluation and emotional processing. This heightened response wasn’t seen in people without the disorder.

“A lesson learned from suffering is not easily forgotten.” – Unknown

Glossophobia Treatment

You might find it beneficial to take a public speaking class or workshop. Subsequently, 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 glossophobia situations:

In preparation

Know your material. Although, 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. Therefore, you should continue practicing until you’re comfortable with what you’re going to say. Then practice more. Basically, your confidence will increase as you realize that you know what you’re going to say.

During your presentation

Keep in mind that 40 percent of the audience fears public speaking, too. All things considered, there’s no need to apologize for being nervous. Instead, do your best to accept that stress is normal and use it to be more alert and energetic.

Smile and make eye contact with any audience members you encounter. All in all, take advantage of any opportunity to spend a few moments chatting with them. Be sure to take several slow, deep breaths to help calm you down if needed.

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

Conclusion

Glossophobia is one phobia I don’t wish on anybody. Besides, I have social anxiety, so I don’t like to be around other people, let alone, standing up in front of a group of people. It is terrifying. Consequently, I remember when I was in school, I always dreaded that day when I had to do a presentation for the class. I would picture myself standing in front of the class and making an idiot out of myself. And then, it came true. You get what you manifest!

Nowadays, I isolate myself mainly because of the anxiety. But, by me isolating myself, I’m letting my anxiety consume my life. I know this, but I feel like I have no power over it. Just when I start to gain some confidence, I have a panic attack. This, in turn, knocks be down a few pegs and then I’m back to ground zero.

So, if you are ever able to conquer fear of public speaking, write me and tell me how! I would really like to know. That’s going to do it for me. Keep the fight up with glassophobia. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day and I’ll catch you in the next post. Until next time…

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