Glossophobia

My relationship with public speaking is quite a bizarre one. As someone who does their best to avoid small talk and pointless phatic communication at all costs, it’s strange that I get such a thrill out of speaking to big groups of people.

My inner introvert makes me feel drained after my unavoidable daily attempts to hold a casual conversation with an acquaintance but put me in front of fifty strangers and I will strive.I have not always been this way inclined. In fact, as a child I was incredibly shy. Yet I always felt an urge to bagsy the largest speaking part of our year 4 assembly’s. Of course I was awful at it, I could barely raise my voice to higher than 2 decibels, but I still got an undeniable thrill when it came to talking to the larger group.

So when my teacher came up to me and asked me if I would like to take part in a regional public speaking competition I jumped on the idea, and felt this lingering of excitement for the following four months. I had never been part of anything of this nature – my experience of public speaking had never strayed from the comfortable confines of my schools debating competitions or the GCSE speaking assessment, so at first it was a daunting idea. But, having been inspired by Olympic athletes that associate their feelings of nerves with a feeling of positive anticipation, I took the opportunity with open arms.

The best way to start was to just write down my ideas. There is no way you could compete in a competition of this type with nothing to perform. So I proceeded to spend the next two months writing and practicing my speech. My whole life revolved around rehearsing, and I only tended to tone down my dedication during my mock exams. All this practice caused my anticipation and my excitement to peak and when the day came around I was more than ready to tackle whatever the crowd would throw at me.

The moment of truth was three days ago. I walked into the lecture theatre accompanied by what can only be described as a flock of butterflies. Inspecting the stage and being able to out a face to the other contestants actually helped quite a lot in dealing with my nerves, that was until everyone else began to deliver their speeches. I was scheduled to perform after the interval meaning I had to witness many amazing speakers before it was my turn. But luckily, when it was my turn, I enjoyed it so much! The feeling of being in control of so many people’s attentions is one that is rather indescribable. There is little that can compare to that level of satisfaction in my opinion, especially when it all goes to plan.

I ended up coming third in the competition, an achievement I am incredibly proud of due to my lack of experience when it came to rivalry of this sort.

But the point of this blog post is mostly to help any of you that are suffering with Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking;

Arguably the best way to break down your fears is to face them and becoming aware - that if anything goes wrong during a presentation it is not the end of the world- can help a lot. It may seem embarrassing at the time but you’re going to be the only one that remembers it so it’s really nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, the people watching you know how difficult it is and they will be a lot more empathetic than you would first think. Also interpreting the sickening feeling of nerves to the very similar feeling of excitement can help you deal with reality of the situation in a more manageable way. It will help you remember the experience as a positive one that you can learn from rather than a terrifying one you will proceed to avoid at all costs!

I wish you all luck

M xx