Fear of public speaking
Fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, is a form of social anxiety that causes severe nervousness when speaking or thinking about speaking in public. Those struggling with glossophobia may notice it most when:
- Participating in team meetings at work
- Delivering presentations at work, school or university
- When asked to give a speech at a wedding or other family event
- Speaking to authority figures such as doctors or senior managers
In this article, we'll explore what fear of public speaking is and how we treat it.
Our public speaking therapy programme was developed with input from a Toastmasters Area Director and public speaking champion. This ensures that the psychological techniques we use are grounded in real-world speaking experience and tailored to the situations people genuinely face.
What causes fear of public speaking?
Fear of public speaking is typically based around a fear of embarrassment or humiliation. Speakers may worry they will make a fool of themselves, stumble over their words or be judged or laughed at.
Unfortunately, this nervousness often does bring around difficulties in getting our words out and thinking clearly, leading to the very symptoms we were hoping to avoid. This creates an unhelpful cycle of worry leading to symptoms of anxiety, leading to more worry.
Symptoms may include:
- Butterflies in our stomach
- Dry mouth
- Rapid heart rate
- Shaking and sweating
- Racing thoughts and difficulty thinking clearly
- Speaking too quickly and stumbling over words
Treatment options
One option, which we will discuss below, is therapy.
However, there are alternatives. Self-help books may offer a range of strategies including rehearsing your speech, using positive self-talk and not taking yourself too seriously.
Practice also makes public speaking easier, so you could join a local public speaking club such as the Association of Speakers Clubs or Toastmasters. You could also practice in front of friends and family.
There is a range of medications available including beta-blockers that slow your heart rate, or antidepressants such as SSRIs which may reduce anxiety.
How we treat fear of public speaking
As a form of social anxiety, fear of public speaking is highly treatable.
We use an integrative approach, combining elements of humanistic therapy with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In the first session, you'll spend some time getting to know your therapist so that they can provide you with the perfect programme.
You will typically spend some time learning about how anxiety works so you can better understand your experience when thinking about speaking in public. This allows you to change the way we think about, and respond to, worrying thoughts.
When you feel ready, you will progress onto small, step-by-step experiments, where you can test out your fear of public speaking in a safe and controlled space. This may involve giving short speeches or recording yourself speaking, while using the new skills you have learnt in therapy.
We'll work at your pace, so your therapy can move forward as fast or as slow as you are comfortable with. The things you will learn will stay with you for the rest of your life. So, even after your therapy has finished, you will continue to benefit from the sessions.