Being able to tackle the fear of public speaking might not be that simple for those who are scared to face crowds and are reluctant to go in the spotlight. It is quite normal to experience anxiety or stress right before a seminar or a business conference we are supposed to conduct. But if we wish to succeed and excel in our career, we must learn to overpower our obstacles with persuasive and significant communication of ideas and concepts and not to let our stage fear overpower our potentials which may help us build a successful career.

Fear of public speaking or “Glossophobia” can hamper our promotions and can hinder our success by holding us back from conveying our skills and ideas to our seniors when they ask for our input during professional discussions. So we should not let our glossophobia win our minds and control our bodies. Instead, we should learn to be confident and bold enough to face the crowd.

Why does it happen?

Negative experiences in early life can be one of the reasons behind it. Fear of speaking can occur due to experiences from early life where one undergoes the rejection of people for example-where our peers, family members, or elders do not value what we say or when you take part in a group discussion and were made fun of or insulted. This fear of rejection develops as one grows up and affects one’s career.

Effects of Fear and Lack of confidence on Stage:

Anxiety and Depression:

Glossophobia causes intense stress and anxiety which can trigger negative thoughts in one’s mind-worrying about what people will think, thinking what if we freeze or forget what to say, or suffer a slip of tongue and we may utter something embarrassing in front of our superiors or the potential clients which we are about to present with some important presentation or pitch a crucial idea. We might also get pushed into overthinking that we may ruin the event and on account of lost a business opportunity for our organization which may even get us fired.

These negative thoughts lead oneself to depression and hence we try to avoid facing or taking such tremendous opportunity which therefore hampers our career.

Communication Gap:

Such anxiety of speaking up in front of a large audience or at major events can also adversely impact our communication skills. Especially if you are involved in a profession such as law where we constantly need to rely on our communication skills and public speaking skills to earn a living and make a career. For example, we can take Alberta’s Marc Dumont, a Transport Canada certified drone pilot. Marc Dumont Alberta is a bilingual English and French specialist in beaver wetland restoration and environmental monitoring.

The obstacle in an Interview:

Passing an interview demands boldness and confidence in oneself and most importantly having good communication with the questioner. If are a good public speaker and have already faced an ample audience and crowd, it becomes a piece of cake to face any interview panel with a minimum of preparation. As we are bold and confident enough in ourselves and can answer the questions with clarity and effectiveness. But when we have little to no experience of public speaking or we have a fear of public speaking this can become a big hurdle which can act as an impediment our career.

“It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career.” Aptly said by Carlton Fisk, also known as “Pudge” or “The Commander”, who is an American former professional baseball player.

To not let this hold us back and must try to change ourselves for the better so here are so some tips to help combat Fear of Facing the Crowd:

Be prepared:

Before getting on the stage, we should know our material and be mentally and physically prepared. It’s better to have a positive sense of mind that we did much better than we ever did

Practice Makes Man Perfect:

We can arrange a mock presentation in front of our friends. It can be beneficial in overcoming anxiety. We can also ask our friends to give feedback about our speech or presentation, ask them to give some guidelines about our body language, or the pace of our speech, or did our matter makes sense.

Calm Your Mind:

Before getting up there, relax…., take deep breaths, don’t panic, and believe that you are going to give your best. If possible, take a walk around the block and make yourself comfortable.