Do you struggle with feelings of anxiety when it comes to Public Speaking?
Rapid breathing, sweaty palms, quick heartbeat – these are just some telltale signs that we’re experiencing nerves and anxiety. A lot of us have plenty of experience with feeling this way and know that it can be a huge setback in our public speaking journeys.
While it might seem like there is no bright side to the situation, there is good news. You’re not alone. The scientific term for fear of Public Speaking is glossophobia and it’s experienced by almost 70% of the world’s population.
Of course, there are different levels of glossophobia but as a rule of thumb, it causes feelings of stress, anxiety, and nerves that can sometimes be detrimental to our professional and personal success.
Having a better understanding as to what glossophobia is and why we experience it, is the first step to learning how to overcome these feelings and allow ourselves to grow.
However, it’s important to understand that these unwanted feelings may never completely disappear – but there are ways to make them manageable. Like many other skills, it takes patience and practice. Just keep in mind, perfection is rare. Mistakes will happen and that’s okay!
Today, we’ll be going over 3 strategies to help you practice managing nerves and anxiety that you’ll be able to put to practical work next time you’re presented with an opportunity.
Developing a Growth Mindset
Developing a growth mindset means believing that your skills are constantly growing. We’re all a work in progress, and believing that we have the capacity to continue to evolve in all aspects of life goes a long way. It also involves teaching yourself not to view failure as concrete, but as a learning opportunity and just a temporary setback.
Realistic Self Talk
Remember when we discussed negative self talk? Realistic self talk is almost the exact opposite. This means taking the time to make sure your thoughts and image of yourself are compassionate, solution-oriented, and overall positive.
Registered Psychologist Dr. Melanie Badali recommends asking yourself these two questions when you’re thoughts start to run:
1. Am I overestimating the threat/danger?
2. Am I underestimating my abilities and/or resources?
Breathing Techniques
The 4-7-8 breathing technique can be the perfect way to get yourself into a calm state when you’re feeling overly anxious. It was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil and derives from ancient yoga techniques.
Check out this tutorial below for how to master the technique!
All in all, glossophobia is something the majority of people suffer from yet is something that’s not often spoken about. Educating ourselves on the matter and taking the proper steps to combat it will no doubt raise awareness and in the long run, help more individuals. This is one thing that we’re striving to achieve when you train with us.
Do you suffer from glossophobia?
