Overcome your fear
Working on Glossophobia
Ever felt your life flashing before your eyes as soon as you climb the stage in front of a huge crowd? Yes, that’s right there is called stage fright or fear of stage or glossophobia. Most of the population especially youth these days suffer from this phobia. The main reason for stage fright is the lack of confidence in yourself. Even if you are confident in one-on-one conversation but are unable to express the same confidence in Infront of a huge crowd then your skills get invalidated.
How does it feel like to be Glossophobic?
When you are asked to speak or present in front of a huge crowd you feel a sudden rise in your heartbeat, the urge to run away and hide, you might even start sweating or feel dizziness. The body enters in fight-or-flight mode, basically preparing you to face/fight the threat. But the fight-or-flight response works well in life and death situations like an encounter with a bear, or any car accident but not in a room with people. So, people tend to take other ways out i.e., avoiding the problem entirely, escaping social interactions, hence with time their social anxiety also increases.
How to overcome Glossophobia
Learn to ask for HELP. Never be ashamed to ask for something when you are going through a rough patch. Consult a therapist, he/she will keep your secret safe and you can tell anything or everything to him/her without the fear of being judged or being embarrassed. The cognitive-behavioral therapy that the therapists perform helps people with stage fright.
We all are humans, which means we definitely aren’t 100% perfect, in fact, God made no one perfect. Imperfections were left in humans so that they could work on them and learn from them and try to be perfect. Making mistakes is a part of life, so even if you make a mistake openly say to yourself “IT’S OKAY”, accept it and learn from it rather than developing a fear of ever speaking Infront of a crowd again. Be confident and always move with poise.
Change your way of thinking. If you think whenever you will speak in public people will throw negative comments on you or they will judge you, instead of these thoughts think “THEY WILL WISH FOR MY SUCCESS AND LISTEN TO WHATEVER I HAVE TO SAY”, such a positive outlook will boost your morale and help you speak better without hesitation. Even if you can’t stop bringing negative thoughts in your mind while you are on a stage, take a deep breath and think about things that make you feel content and at peace, that will help you reduce the stress.
When you are about to start speaking always remember to prepare your script at least 2 times this will reassure you that you have prepared enough. While you are speaking keep in mind that you are not the only one with the fear of the stage, more than 50% audience also faces the same fear and they understand even if there is a slip of tongue. When you know that you aren’t alone you become less stressed and can focus more on your presentation.
Conclusion
There’s no need to apologize for being nervous. Instead, do your best to accept that stress is normal and use it to be more alert and energetic.
Smile and make eye contact with any audience you are delivering your speech to. Take advantage of any opportunity to spend a few moments chatting with them. Be sure to take several slow, deep breaths to help calm you down if needed.
Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” Being a little nervous is normal. And you can overcome glossophobia. In fact, with a little practice, you may learn to enjoy public speaking.
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