Nervousness
QUOTE
• “The human brain starts working
the moment you are born, and
never stops until you stand up to
speak in public!”
FEAR IS COMMON
• Fear of speaking in front of groups is one of the
greatest fears people have.
• Some surveys find people actually claiming that
the thought of giving a speech is more
frightening than falling off a cliff, financial
difficulties, snakes and even death.
Most Common Fears Percent
1. Speaking before a group 41
2. Heights 32
3. Insects and Bugs 22
4. Financial problems 22
5. Deep water 22
6. Sickness 19
7. Death 19
8. Flying 18
9. Loneliness 4
10. Dogs 1
• 60-75% College speaking groups say
“They were bothered by nervousness in
public speaking.”
• The rest 35% considered it to be a “severe
problem”( Baird and Knower in Essentials of
General Speech)
• American Novelist and lecturer explains, “ Now
after many years of practice I am , I suppose,
really a ‘practiced speaker’. But I rarely rise to
my feet without a throat constricted with terror
and a furiously thumping heart. When for some
reason, I am cool and self assured: the speech
is always a failure.”
• Even President Kennedy and Winston Churchill
were extremely fearful of public speaking.
• Teddy Roosevelt, a famous orator and
successful politician had been a rather
sickly and awkward boy? He confessed in
his autobiography,” I was, as a young
man, at first both nervous and distrustful of
my prowess. I had to train myself painfully
and laboriously not merely as regards my
body but regards my soul and spirit.”
Symptoms
• Physical
• Psychological
• Vocalized Pauses
Symptoms
• What’s wrong with me?
• I ’m losing control.
• My heart is racing,
• my head is pounding,
• my face is on fire, my hands are cold and
shaking,
• my knees are twitching. I can’t stop sweating,
• my stomach is in a knot, my muscles are
stiffening up on me, and I can’t breathe.
• Please help me.
(Farrel and Farrell in Pubic Speaking: Skills for
Success p140)
The roots of
public speaking
anxiety
Public Speaking Anxiety
Hidden Causes of Public Speaking
Stress
– The fear or anxiety associated with
actual or anticipated
communication as a speaker to an
audience.
Causes:
• Lack of Experience
• Feeling Different
• Being the Center of Attention
Lack of Experience
• Anxious anticipation is a natural
reaction to new experiences
Feeling Different
• Getting up in front of an audience make a
speaker sensitive to his or her personal
idiosyncrasies
Being the Center of Attention
• A speaker’s conspicuous feeling due to
the audience’s attention.
• In actuality, the audience notices very little
about us that we don’t want to reveal,
especially if our speech is well developed
and effectively delivered.
Consequences of Public Speaking
Anxiety
• The consequences of public speaking
anxiety can include everything from
procrastination to poor speech
Performance.
Other Causes of Nervousness
•Being Over Conscious of others
•Lack of Originality
•Negative Self Talk
•Too Many Points
•Wrong Notion of Success
•Lack of Clarity in Purpose
•Lack of Credibility and Humility
•Unnecessary Control of Audience Behavior
•Over Preparation
•Overestimation of Audiences’ Reaction to Your
Performance
DIFFERENT PHASES OF
PUBLIC SPEAKING STRESS
Predisposition Reaction
Initiation Reaction
Confrontation Reaction
Adaptation Reaction
PHASES OF PUBLIC
SPEAKING STRESS
1 – Predisposition reaction
2 – Initiation Reaction
3 – Confrontation Reaction
4 – Adaptation Reaction
Stress
level
2 3
1 4
Speaking duration
Coping
with
Nervousness
Coping with Nervousness
• Despite nervousness, you can
make it through your speech
• Listeners are not as likely to
recognize your fear as you may
think
• The better prepared you are, the
better you will cope with
nervousness
Coping with Nervousness
(continued)
• The more experience you get in public
speaking, the better you can cope with
nervousness
• Experienced speakers learn to channel
their nervousness
• Pick a topic you are comfortable with
• Take time to prepare fully
Coping with Nervousness
(Continued)
• Try to schedule the speech at a time that
is psychologically best for you
• Control your food and beverages
• Visualize successful speaking
experiences
Coping with Nervousness continued
• Give yourself positive affirmations before
approaching the podium
• Pause for a few second before you begin
Getting Started With
Confidence
Strategies For Getting Started
With Confidence
Prepare and Practice
Modify Thoughts and Attitudes
Visualize Success
Use Relaxation Techniques
Depersonalize the Speech
Evaluation
Prepare and Practice
• Manage your time wisely
• Don’t skimp on the research
• Discover as much about the audience
and speaking environment as you can
• Rehearse the delivery of your speech
Modify Thoughts And Attitudes
Regard your speech as a valuable,
worthwhile, and challenging activity
Remind yourself why public speaking is
helpful personally, socially, and
professionally
View public speaking as an opportunity,
not a threat.*
Approaches to successful public speaking
Visualizing :
In the public speaking context, a process of mentally seeing oneself give a successful
speech
Communication Oriented Approach:
not performance based
regard as expressing view to large group, conversing with them
sharing of ideas is central rather than success or failure of speech
beginners: don’t put unwanted stress of being eloquent and performance based-
focus on content
Talk Power:
Dealing with fear is the approach here.
To overcome knee-jerk reaction to speech task
Behavior modification
Acting Technique
Speech crafting
Fear of PS is complex: History, low self esteem, lack of essential skills (thinking,
organzing etc.)
Fear of loosing professional identity
This is a scientific approach.
Organized training: - control anxiety, overcome memory loss, shaky voice.
Mental conditioning to overcome the task responsibilities
Dramatization – practice: engrossed in speech
o Writing the speech
Use Relaxation Techniques
• Stress-Control Breathing
• A form of breathing in which the center of
breathing is felt on the stomach rather than on the
chest
• Stage One
• Inhale air and let your abdomen go out. Exhale air
and let your abdomen go in
• Stage Two
• As you inhale, use a soothing word such as calm
or relax
Depersonalize The Speech
Evaluation
• Being evaluated is a necessary part of a speech
class
• Your concern as a speaker should be with your
message, not yourself
This will help to lessen your anxiety about presenting
the speech
• Think of your speech as a conversation instead
of a performance
The Wave
• Under stress, breathing and
speaking can get uncoordinated.
• To coordinate breathing and
speaking, begin speaking at the
crest of the wave
Natural Gestures
• Practice some controlled, natural
gestures that might be useful in
enhancing your speech, such as
holding up your index finger when
starting your first main point.
Freedom to Walk
Walk around as you make some of
your points, instead of standing behind
the lectern the entire time.
Movement relieves tension, and it
helps to hold the audiences’ attention.
Seek Pleasure in the Occasion
Giving a speech can be satisfying and
empowering.
Depending on your goal, public speaking
enables you to inform, persuade, entertain,
or even console people.
CONCLUSION
• The audience understands nervousness, and will
forgive nervousness and honest mistakes.
• Nervousness is usually invisible but desirable.
• Be yourself, relax, breathe deep.
• Practice with friends.
• Check out the room first and visualize yourself
making the presentation.
• Begin with a slow, well prepared introduction, have
a confident and clear conclusion.