Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in

general.[1] The word glossophobia comes from the Greek glssa, meaning
tongue, and phobos, fear or dread. Many people only have this fear, while
others may also have social phobia or social anxiety disorder.Stage fright may be a
symptom of glossophobia.
Symptoms include:

intense anxiety prior to, or simply at the thought of having to verbally communicate with any
group,

avoidance of events which focus the group's attention on individuals in attendance,

physical distress, nausea, or feelings of panic in such circumstances.

The more specific symptoms of speech anxiety can be grouped into three categories: physical,
verbal, and non-verbal. Physical symptoms result from the sympathetic part of the autonomic
nervous system (ANS) responding to the situation with a "fight-or-flight" reaction. Since the modus
operandi, or method of operating, of the sympathetic system is all-or-nothing, adrenaline secretion
produces a wide array of symptoms at once - all of which are supposed to enhance your ability to
fight or escape a dangerous scenario. As Garcia-Lopez (2013)[2] has noted, these symptoms include
acute hearing, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, dilated pupils, increased perspiration,
increased oxygen intake, stiffening of neck/upper back muscles, and dry mouth. Uncontrollable
shaking is also a common symptom, especially right before presenting. Some of these may be
alleviated by drugs such as beta-blockers, which bind to the adrenaline receptors of the heart, for
example. The verbal symptoms include (but are not limited to) a tense voice, a quivering voice, and
vocalized pauseswhich tend to comfort anxious speakers. One form of speech anxiety is
dysfunctional speech anxiety, in which the intensity of the fight-or-flight response prevents an
individual from performing effectively.
Many people report stress-induced speech disorders which are only present during public speech.
Some glossophobics have been able to dance, perform in public, or even to speak (such as in a
play) or sing if they cannot see the audience, or if they feel that they are presenting a character or
stage persona rather than themselves. Being able to blend in a group (as in a choir or band) can
also alleviate some anxiety caused by glossophobia.
It has been estimated that 75% of all people experience some degree of anxiety/nervousness when
public speaking.[3] In fact, surveys have shown that most people fear public speaking more than they
fear death.
A speaker's anxiety can be reduced if they know their topic well and believe in it. It has been
suggested that people should practice speaking in front of smaller, less intimidating groups when
they're getting started in public speaking. Additionally, focusing on friendly, attentive people in the
audience has been found to help. Many suggest that speakers should remember to not take
themselves too seriously, and further suggest that they should remind themselves if they make a
mistake that there is a good chance the audience won't have noticed. Gaining experience in public
speaking often results in it becoming easier for the person.

Loosening up a "tough crowd" by asking questions promotes audience participation. A speaker may
also find this exercise to be helpful when their mind "goes blank", as it gives them time to regain their
train of thought.
An attentive audience is a good way to help ease the speaker's nerves and make them feel
comfortable. As an audience, there are several ways to display attentiveness and make the speaker
feel more comfortable when they are presenting:

Give full attention to speaker

Show interest in their presentation

Laugh and smile at any jokes that the speaker might make

Make eye contact with speaker

Use proper body language to illustrate interest in presentation

Do not interact with others in order to show respec

When someone starts to feel the sensation of being scared or nervous they start to experience
anxiety. According to a Harvard Mental Health Letter, "Anxiety usually has physical symptoms that
may include a racing heart, a dry mouth, a shaky
voice, blushing, trembling, sweating, lightheadedness, and nausea".[1] It triggers the body to activate
its sympathetic nervous system. This process takes place when the body releases adrenaline into
the blood stream causing a chain of reactions to occur. This bodily response is known as the "fight or
flight" syndrome, a naturally occurring process in the body done to protect itself from harm.
I Cant Go On! - JOAN ACOCELLA

DittoMikhailBaryshnikov.Inthenineteenseventiesandeighties,Baryshnikovwasthemost
famousballetdancerintheworld,andheprobablystillis,thoughheceasedclassicaldancing
sometwentyfiveyearsago.Sincethen,hehasbuiltasuccessfulcareerinmoderndanceand
theatre.Butheexperiencesterriblestagefright,andsaysthatithasonlygotworseovertheyears.
Thisisanothermysteryofstagefrightthat,insomanycases,itdoesntletupwithtime.Ifthe
artistrepeatedlygoesonstagefearingfailure,andinsteadhasasuccess,shouldntthefear
eventuallyextinguish?Iamonstagemorethanfiftyyears,Baryshnikovsays.SometimesIdo
showseverynightforweeks.Still,itneverdoesntcome.Startsfourhoursbefore.Idonteven
trytofightitanymore.Iknowitwillalwaysbethere.

1.

Shift the focus from yourself and your fear to your true purposecontributing something of
value to your audience.
2.
Stop scaring yourself with thoughts about what might go wrong. Instead, focus your attention
on thoughts and images that are calming and reassuring.
3.
Refuse to think thoughts that create self-doubt and low confidence.
4.
Practice ways to calm and relax your mind and body, such as deep breathing, relaxation
exercises, yoga, and meditation.
5.
Exercise, eat well, and practice other healthful lifestyle habits. Try to limit caffeine, sugar, and
alcohol as much as possible.
6.
Visualize your success: Always focus on your strength and ability to handle challenging
situations.
7.
Prepare your material in advance and read it aloud to hear your voice.
8.
Make connections with your audience: Smile and greet people, thinking of them as friends
rather than enemies.
9.
Stand or sit in a self-assured, confident posture. Remain warm and open and make eye contact.
10.
Give up trying to be perfect and know that it is OK to make mistakes. Be natural, be yourself.

What happens in our brain

When you think about negative consequences, a part of your brain, the hypothalamus,
activates and triggers the pituitary gland to secrete the hormone ACTH.
This hormone stimulates the Adrenal Glands in your kidneys and results in the release of
adrenaline into your blood:

It is at this point in the process when many of us experience the reactions of this process.
Your neck and back muscles contract (forcing your head down and your spine to curve)
moving your posture into a slouch. This results in a Low-Power position as your
body tries to force itself into the fetal position:

If you try to resist this position by pulling your shoulders back and lifting your head up,
your legs and hands shake as the muscles in your body instinctively prepare for an
impending attack.
Your blood pressure increases and your digestive system shuts down to maximize efficient
delivery of even more nutrients and oxygen to your vital organs. When your digestive
system shuts down, this is what leads to the feeling of dry mouth or
butterflies.
Even your pupils dilate, which makes it hard to read anything up close (like presenter
notes) but improves long range visibility, making you more aware of your audiences facial
expressions.

Your experience of stage fright is also

affected by 3 main things:
1. Genes

Genetics play a huge role in how strong your feelings of anxiety are in social situations. For
instance, even though John Lennon performed on stage thousands of times, he was known
for throwing up before going on stage for his live performances.
Some people are simply genetically wired to feel more scared when performing or speaking
in public.

2. Level of task mastery

Weve all heard the saying, practice makes perfect. The main benefit of practice is to
increase your familiarity of a given task. As this familiarity increases, feelings of anxiety
decrease, and have less of a negative impact on performance.
In other words, the anxiety you feel about speaking in public will be less, the more
comfortable you feel with your presentation.
To support these findings, in 1982, a team of psychologists watched pool players play alone
or in front of crowd. The study found that:
Stronger pool players sank more shots when performing in front of a crowd, while poor pool players
performed worse. Interestingly, the stronger pool players performed even better when people were
watching them versus when they were playing alone.
What this means is if you know your presentation inside out, its more likely that
youll give an even better presentation in front of a large audiencethan
when you rehearsed alone or in front of a friend.

3. Stakes
If youre giving a presentation where your business is on the line or the whole nation is
watching you speak, theres an increased chance that your reputation could be massively
damaged if you screw up.
As the stakes increase, theres a chance your reputation could be completely ruined if you
perform poorly, which triggers the release of more adrenaline, and can result in paralyzing
fear and anxiety.
Weve seen the effect of stakes on reputation in online communities as well. For example,
many eBay sellers worry about their reputation a ton because it directly effects how much
money they make. One piece of negative feedback can ruin an eBay sellers profile and
cause them to lose sales.

In fact, one study found that a good reputation for a seller on eBay added
7.6 percent to the sale price of their items.
Having a good reputation is important to protect but, this also leads to having a fear that
one slip-up could ruin your reputation and cause the loss of future opportunities.

Overcome your Fears & Become a Great Speaker

Randall P. Whatley

All the great speakers were bad speakers at first. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1860

You are already a great speaker. You give great presentations every day.

Think about how often you successfully communicate your ideas to loved ones, coworkers, or acquaintances. You make a simple point. You choose language that they
understand and to which they can relate. You answer their objections satisfactorily.
You close with them agreeing to do something you want them to do. You just
employed the great elements of a successful speech.
Then you are asked to speak to 15 people about a subject you know something
about (Why else would you be asked to speak?). You become scared to death. You
have a totally different mindset about public speaking than you do about daily
conversations. Why? Youre scared because you think you dont know how to
communicate. You think you have nothing important to say. You think you dont
know the correct way to phrase your thoughts. You think the audience will disagree
with you. You think the audience will dislike both your ideas and you personally. You
dont think you can persuade them.
You plod on, prepare your speech, rise to deliver it and all of a sudden, you
experience one or more of the following stage fright symptoms. Rapid heart beat:
Your heart is beating so fast and loud that youre sure everyone in the room hears
your heart pounding. Relax. Only you can hear your heartbeat. Its beating faster
than usual because adrenaline and other chemicals are increasing your heart rate.
Breathe slowly and deeply. Concentrate on your speech. Focus on someone in the
audience you are comfortable with for a few moments. You heart rate will slow once
you become immersed in your presentation.

Trembling legs or hands: Youre embarrassed because one of your legs or

hands is trembling. Everyone who sees it knows how scared you are. You feel like
such a coward. Relax. Take several, slow, deep breaths. Contract and then relax the
shaking muscle. Again, adrenaline and other chemicals have supplied more energy
that your body needs, and irregular breathing has disrupted your blood circulation.
Shift your weight on your feet to stop your leg from shaking. Use large hand
gestures that move your hands and arms. Connect and press together your index
finger and thumb on the trembling hand while relaxing your other fingers. Hold the
connected finger together for ten seconds and then relax your hand. Repeat this if
necessary. Your breathing and tension/relaxation exercises will stop the trembling.
Shaking or cracking voice: You begin speaking and your voice shakes or cracks. Your
voice sounds so weak and youre embarrassed. How can you continue? What should
you do? This problem is simply caused by irregular breathing. You can easily
eliminate a shaking or cracking voice by slowing your speaking rate and gaining
control of your breathing rate. Focus on someone comforting in the audience.
Intentionally slow your speech, inhale, and lower the pitch of your voice as you
continue. Dry mouth: Your mouth feels like its full of cotton. Your lips stick together
and slur your speech. Youre afraid that the audience wont understand you because
of the slurring. Its the old adrenaline problem again! The adrenaline is pulling
moisture from your mouth. If you can take a drink of water, stop and do so. Hold it
in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Pause for a few seconds and
relax. Breathe to relax. If you cannot take a drink, pause or stop to collect saliva in
your mouth and hold it there for a few moments before swallowing. To diminish the
chance of this happening, chew gum or use a mint before speaking.
Perspiration: Your forehead and upper lip feel moist. Youre very self-conscious of
this and feel growing embarrassment. Your perspiration is probably caused by your
rapid heart rate that raises your body temperature. Then again, maybe its just
warm in the room. Try to ignore it as much as possible. Wipe your upper lip and
forehead briskly with a handkerchief, and then continue your speech.
Flushing: Your face and neck look like youre coming down with the measles! Its all
red and you know people can see that youre scared. These red splotches are
caused by irregular blood flow to the outer layers of your skin by adrenaline. This
mostly happens to women. Theres usually no way to stop it once it starts other
than to relax in order to slow the adrenaline rush.
Why dont these speaking problems occur when youre talking to loved ones, coworkers, or acquaintances? They dont usually occur because youre relaxed when
you speak to people with whom you are familiar under comfortable circumstances.
More than anything else, relaxation is the key to delivering great presentations to
groups. Delivering presentations in conversational tones is one of the easiest ways
to force yourself to relax. You can be a great speaker. You give great presentations
every day. Adopt the same mindset when youre speaking to a group that you have

when youre holding a regular conversation. These simple tips will enable you to be
a great public speaker.

Tips for Dealing with Speech Anxiety

Before the speech . . .
Identify the cause of your nervousness. Write down the reasons why you are nervous to give a speech or
presentation. If you come up with something like, Im afraid Ill look stupid dig a little deeper. What would
make you look stupid? You may find that you are really afraid that you will forget what you wanted to say.
This will help you pinpoint specific things to work on. If you are afraid you will forget what you wanted to say
then spending extra time practicing your speech should reduce that anxiety.
Choose topics that you are interested in. We do not always get to choose topics that we speak about. If you
are able to choose your topic pick one that interests you. It is much easier to spend time researching and
preparing a presentation on a topic that you care about than one you have no interest in. You will also be
more inclined to display enthusiasm about a topic that you enjoy.
Prepare your speech early and thoroughly. Having to prepare a speech at the last minute will only increase
your anxiety. After you have prepared your speech PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!! Practice delivering
your speech at least 7 to 10 times before your actual presentation. Be sure that you know the organization
of your main points to avoid losing your place. Watch yourself in the mirror while you deliver your speech,
this will allow you to see your gestures and body language and practice making eye contact. You can also
give your speech to friends or family members and ask them for feedback. Audio or videotaping your speech
are other ways to evaluate and improve your delivery. If you are given a time limit for your presentation be
sure to use a stopwatch as you give your speech. Time each practice run and make changes to ensure that
you will be able to stay within your allotted time. Keep in mind that most of us speak more quickly when we
are in front of a real audience.
Know your topic. If you have researched the topic thoroughly you will be certain that you are presenting
accurate information and you will be able to answer questions that the audience may ask. These things will
greatly increase your confidence.
Be aware of the speech situation. One of the hardest things for a speaker to deal with is a surprise. While we
cannot completely avoid surprises we can minimize them. Make sure that you are aware of all aspects of the
speech situation ahead of time. Know your time limit, the size of your audience, the make-up of your
audience (see audience analysis), what equipment you will have available to you (computer, overhead,
podium, easel, etc.), and any other details that may affect your presentation. Also, if you are using any type
of technology in your speech (i.e. a PowerPoint presentation) be sure that you have a back-up plan (see
Visual Aids and Technology). Technology can be a wonderful tool but it can also be unpredictable.
Set realistic expectations. No one is perfect. Public speaking is difficult to master even seasoned speakers
make mistakes. Instead of telling yourself that you have to deliver your speech flawlessly, think realistic
things like, If I lose my place I will calmly scan my notes and then continue my speech or Small mistakes
arent going to ruin my speech.
Replace negative thoughts with positive ones and visualize success. Thinking negative thoughts increases
anxiety. When a negative thought comes to mind try to immediately replace it with positive thoughts. For
example, if you think, Im going to forget what to say and just stand there, replace that with thoughts like,
Ive done a great deal of research and I know this topic well and I have practiced my speech many times
and Im going to deliver it just like I practiced. Other performers such as athletes and musicians have found
that visualization can be a powerful tool to improve performance. See yourself delivering the speech with
confidence and successfully conveying your message.

Continue gaining experience. One of the best ways to combat speech anxiety is to gain speaking experience.
Take any opportunity that you have to speak in public. Speak in your classes or volunteer to give
presentations for groups you are involved in - anything that gives you a chance to hone your speaking skills.

On the day of the speech . . .

Exercise. Exercising on the day of a speech can help reduce anxiety and stress.
Use relaxation techniques. Simple relaxation techniques lessen anxiety and allow them to focus on the task
at hand. Some of the most common relaxation techniques are: taking deep breaths, tightening and then
relaxing your muscles, and visualizing a peaceful scene.
Accept fear and use it. Accept the fact that you are nervous (remember its normal to experience speech
anxiety) and use that nervous energy to enhance your delivery. Use the extra adrenaline that you get from
fear to invigorate your gestures and enthusiasm about your topic. Remember, even the best speakers get
nervous, but they use it to their benefit.
Wear clothes that you feel confident in. Most of us have a few outfits that we feel particularly comfortable
and confident in. These are good things to wear when you present a speech. If you feel good about how you
look standing in front of your audience, you can put all of your focus on your message. You do not want to
distract your audience or yourself by adjusting your clothes or hair during your speech.
Act confident and do not profess your anxiety to the audience. Remember that your nervousness is usually
invisible to your audience. If you act confident your audience will assume that you are. This can become a
positive circular process: the audience gives you the respect of a competent speaker, you receive positive
feedback that gives you more confidence in your ability, and the audience gives you more respect. A
common mistake that novice speakers make is telling the audience that they are nervous. This does not
lessen your anxiety and it tends to make your audience uncomfortable since they want you to succeed.
Acting confident is a much more effective strategy.
Find friendly faces in the crowd. While you are speaking find one or two people in the audience that are
giving you positive feedback (nodding in agreement, smiling when appropriate, etc.). When you feel nervous
make eye contact with those people. Their friendly faces will give you encouragement.
Find ways to hide your anxiety. If your mouth goes dry, be sure to bring a glass of water with you when you
speak. If you sweat excessively, wear clothes that will not allow your audience to detect it. If your hands
shake, use gestures that mask the shaking.

Why the Body Shakes During

Anxiety
Shaking is a result of an activated fight or flight system - an evolutionary tool that's
meant to keep you safe in times of danger. During intense anxiety, your body is
flooded with adrenaline/epinephrine. Adrenaline is pure energy, and your body
shakes as a result.

When Your Shaking is a Problem

Anxiety is healthy, as much as the word itself has been demonized. Without anxiety,
you wouldn't have any idea what you should be afraid of, and if you were faced
with danger you'd have a much harder time running away or protecting yourself.
That's why during little events, like the SATs, getting in a fight, or asking someone to
marry you, you get nervous. You're faced with a situation that is scary, exciting, or
dangerous to you, and so your anxiety reacts as a result. You need that anxiety to
make good decisions and stay safe.

Defeating Cotton Mouth

The best way to avoid experiencing cotton mouth is to calm your public speaking
anxiety. However, as you continue to work on that, here are a couple of ideas to help
you minimize the impact it has on your presentations:
1. Use a small piece of a cough drop
Break a cough drop into small pieces ideally into quarters and tuck it between
your bottom gum and cheek. Cough drops are great at generating saliva, and
can keep your mouths moisture at just the right level. Obviously, discretion is
important here, so practice delivering your presentation in a mirror to see if youre
being too obvious about the cough drop. And whatever you do, dont start
chewing it in the middle of your presentation!
2. Give yourself an out
As youre practicing your presentation, try to identify areas where a longer pause
would make sense. In these areas, use lines such as does that all make sense?
or still with me? When these types of questions are asked, a few seconds of

silence is anticipated, which gives you an opportunity to take a sip of your water.
Even if someone does have a question, its perfectly acceptable to take a quick
sip while they are asking it. Its about strategically picking your moments so you
dont have to awkwardly lunge like Senator Rubio did.
The sandpaper feeling your mouth gets is the result of a slightly inconvenient natural
process that the human body undergoes in stressful situations. But leveraging these
public speaking cheat codes and proper preparation can dramatically reduce the
likelihood of your presentation going poorly.