Speech Apprehension Speech Anxiety Is a Common

¶ … Speech Apprehension Speech anxiety is a common term for the sense of fear or terror that comes over a person when they are called upon to speak or otherwise present in public. There are other ways to refer to it like anxiousness, anxiety, the jitters, stage fright, fear of public speaking and performance apprehension. It typically hits when someone has to deliver a presentation before a group of people. It makes little distinction whether the viewers is large or small, made up of recognizable or unfamiliar faces.

Psychologists often believe speech anxiety is a particular case of what is frequently known as shyness (Colombo, n.d.). According to the book of lists, the fear of speaking in public is the number one fear of all fears that people have. People who have this fear can experience all kinds of indications including sweaty hands, accelerated heart rate, memory loss and even trouble in breathing. Everyone, even skilled speakers, has some nervousness when speaking in front of a group of people. This is thought to be completely normal.

The best way to deal with this nervousness is to first recognize that this fear is completely normal and hat one is not alone in their fear. In order to reduce the fear, one needs to make sure that they properly and meticulously prepare themselves before they speak. Appropriate preparation and rehearsal can help to reduce this fear by about seventy five percent. Proper breathing techniques can further decrease this fear by another fifteen percent. One's mental state makes up the remaining ten percent (Laskowski, n.d.).

Whether one is giving a speech at a wedding, at a shareholders' meeting, or in a school classroom, there are things that can be done to give one a leg up when it comes to managing anxiety. Everything from the surroundings that they speak in to the way that they maintain eye contact with the audience can impact their anxiety level while speaking in public. One should not make the mistake of failing to invest time and energy in preparing well for their public speaking engagement.

No matter how much anxiety one has, with proper time invested in preparation, anyone can learn how to deliver a great speech or presentation (Cuncic, 2009). Speech anxiety presents both physical and psychological indications. The first step in overcoming the symptoms is to begin to comprehend how one uniquely experiences the physical and psychological symptoms of speech anxiety. Some people quiver or shake and sweat profusely. Other people perceive that their heart rate begins to accelerate and their mouths become very dry.

Most people find that their mind begins to race, their thoughts become disorderly, and they have great trouble putting their thoughts into any rational order. These responses are the body's natural response to the stressor of standing exposed in front of an audience. If you can identify how they experience speech anxiety, they have a chance to better control the symptoms and in the end become a more competent public speaker (Dealing with Communication Anxiety and Public Speaking, 2002).

There are several things that one can do in order to help themselves to overcome any issues that they might experience when speaking in public. The first thing that one should do is plan the speech well. Knowing what one is going to say and how is the key. It is important to have an outline to help stay focused and the earlier one starts preparing, the more secure they will feel about the final result (Taylor, 2009). One should know the subject inside and out.

Making a list of potential questions that one may get from the audience and practice the answers is another way to battle anxiety. One should practice in front of the mirror in order to get comfortable with what they are saying. Another tip is to have extras to rely on. Clips, audio and photographs will not only get ones point across more easily, but it will also give one a break from having to talk non-stop.

As the pictures are showing on the screen, one can use the silence and darkness to catch their breath (Taylor, 2009). One should find out the details about their audience. It is important to know how many people will attend, whether there's a specific demographic and what they expect to get out of the speech.

One should try talking to organizers or management to get a better feel for what would work better, whether its humor, lots of data and numbers or a participatory speech, where the audience gets to ask questions as the speech goes on, rather than at the end (Taylor, 2009). Visualization is another key to being successful when speaking in public. One should close their eyes and imagine that they are in front of the audience and see themselves talking to them.

They should imagine them responding favorably to the speech, smiling and being active participants. Positive reinforcement usually works to give one confidence on their capacities (Taylor, 2009). One should always prepare a backup plan, preferably in the form of a group exercise. If one feels themselves losing control or becoming too anxious, they can give the audience something to work on while they regain their composure and are able to go back to the speech. Preparing this exercise can be great for anxiety, as it will help.