The art of public speaking

For many people, rendering influential speeches or winning debates can be an innate talent. However, there are plenty of notable speakers who overcame their fears and learned the eloquent public speaking skills to get accustomed to it. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, you can always suffer from public speaking apprehensions due to various reasons. What are the causes of public speaking apprehension? [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type="show" ihc_mb_who="4" ihc_mb_template="3"] Charles Darwin provided a scientific explanation to this in his popular theory of evolution. One day while Darwin was experimenting at the London Zoo, he pressed his face against the enclosed thick glass that separated him from the poisonous snake. He noticed that whenever the snake lunged at him, he instinctively jumped back several feet. At this situation, Darwin concluded that despite the reasoning power that human beings have, they tend to react as per their first instincts, which is known as the flight-or-fight response. This reaction is designed to prepare an animal to either fight or flee from a dangerous circumstance. While in our daily lives we don’t face the threat of beasts or dangerous animals, the modern-day fears are losing reputation, facing insult, which can lead to missing out on essential opportunities for students, employees or anyone afraid of communication and public speaking. Negative self-talk Self-talk is an intrapersonal communication regarding perceived success or failure in a particular situation. The negative self-talk focuses on the fears of failure, which shakes the confidence of a person. But the crucial question is - what is the source of these negative thoughts? Well, the research suggests that there are three primary roots - biologically inherited temperament, previous experience, and skillset. Biologically inherited temperament According to this theory, the extrovert children tend to become great speakers, but does that mean the introverts shouldn’t do public speaking? Well, there are many examples of nullifying this theory that we are going to discuss later. Previous experience The apprehensions can also develop in a person due to bad experiences while growing up. Research suggests that sometimes children learn to fear public speaking as a result of incidents of negative reinforcement, which is induced based on the response they get in their past speeches, debates, or reading in class. An adverse reaction causes apprehensions for public speaking or in communication, where else, a positive response from friends, classmates, colleagues, and family build confidence. Skillset Underdeveloped speaking skills play a crucial role in causing negative thoughts as per the skill-deficit theory that suggests that many of us become apprehensive when we don’t know how to plan or prepare adequately for our presentation. Effective public speaking needs deliberate practice and proper planning. Hence, anyone who considers these points can enjoy a great deal of success in speaking. Inspirational leaders who once had stage fright Though there is no step-by-step guide to eliminate stage fear, however, there are hacks to fool your body that are safe from danger and deal with it. Here is the list of some famous leaders who became successful speakers despite having deep-seated anxiety: Warren Buffett When Buffett was a college student, he was terrified of getting up and speaking his name in front of the class. He spent his college life avoiding courses that would need him to muster the courage to speak in front of the class. However, when he started his career as a stockbroker at the age of 21, Buffett realised that either he needs to overcome his aversion to speaking or can never reach his potential. In an interview, Buffett once said, "it is much easier to learn the right habits when you are young. If you are afraid of associating with people, you have to go out there and do it. It is painful, but not impossible." Warren Buffett is a business tycoon, American investor, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and the third richest person on the planet. Mahatma Gandhi During his student life, he had a terrible experience during a speech he had to give to the vegetarian community in London. When he started his career as a lawyer, the fear of the crowd used to haunt him. During his first case before the judge, he panicked and felt humiliated when he couldn’t think of any questions to ask. What happened that turned this faint-hearted speaker into a fearless leader? Well, the desire to see a free India render him the sheer courage to stand for his beliefs. His hesitancy in a speech later became an advantage for him and taught him to deliver concise statements. Indeed! Not everyone accomplishes the honour of being the father of the nation. Thomas Jefferson He served as the third president of the United States from 1801-1809. Can you believe that he was once afraid of public speaking? The accounts of his acute fear were so severe that psychiatrists at Duke University had diagnosed him with social phobia. There is no shred of evidence about his winning over his fears of public speaking, but he worked on his weaknesses by relying on his exceptional writing capabilities. How to manage public speaking apprehension? Communication approach - According to the researcher Michael Motley, the speakers who communicate with their audience rather than delivering a performance see it as an opportunity to engage in conversation. They focus on sending the message across, rather than worrying on how people would be judging their performance. Visualise - Picturing yourself going through an entire speech preparation and delivering a master speech successfully, helps reduce anxiety and overcome the fear of failure as you learn to stay calm during each step. Relaxation exercise - Take a deep breath and release it through the mouth. Inculcate in your routine and use it to calm yourself in the moments before you speak. Face your fake audience before reaching to real ones - Practice the speech out loud in front of your friends and family. Follow these steps: Place yourself in a comfortable posture. Review your opening statement in your head. Make eye contact with the live audience. Take a deep breath and begin your introduction. Ask questions to keep them connected Take pauses in between Use humour Start with an interesting statistic or story-telling as it helps in engaging the audience. If you become successful in making the first impression, you will be able to bond with the audience throughout the entire speech. Develop positive coping statements to replace negative self-talk Tell yourself that your audience doesn’t care if you are afraid of something while giving a speech. Write your positive statements (such as I can do it or I will deliver a fantastic session) on a paper and read out loud to yourself before going on the podium. How to develop an effective speech plan? Select a subject that you believe in - for example, politics, inspiration, career change, comedy, writing, etc. Write your ideas, thoughts on a paper. While doing it, think this way - If someone challenges your views, will you be able to defend them or cope with it positively? This activity will render articulation to your thoughts. Remember, your audience will connect with you if you have clarity in your thoughts. Also consider the occasion, mode (digital, face-to-face) and the demographics of your audience such as their age, location, gender, interests, language, etc. while preparing your speech. Don’t plagiarise ideas of other people, instead of research well and form an opinion in your style, which has to be unique. Organise your speech into a title, paragraphs and the ending. Practice, practice and practice - Take participation in school debates. Join toastmasters and give your speech there. Toastmasters is a global non-profit organisation that promotes communication and public speaking. Watch recordings of public speakers on YouTube and observe their pattern of delivering a speech. Don’t give too much knowledge in one session. Bottom line Susan Cain, an introvert by nature and the best-selling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, said in her TED talk (a platform for motivational speaking and spreading ideas) - “the key for a leader is to practice in small doses.” Citations : [citationic styles="apa,mla,chicago,harvard,vancouver,ieee"] Power Words : Articulation Podium Apprehensions Cope Shred Eloquent Terrified Haunt Plagiarise Reinforcement Lunged Inherited Critical thinking challenge question : Speak for a minimum of 2 minutes on a topic you are most comfortable with and record it. Watch this video for further learning : [presto_player id=11444] [quiz-cat id="11443"] Are you ready to solve the puzzle? Start Puzzle [/ihc-hide-content] Hashtags : #GPSforLifeAndCareer #ConsciousIntelligence #Kidswiki #MindInTheMaking #RelevanceInEducation #MeaningfulLearning #RealWorldSkills #SafeContent #360DegreeDevelopment #Skillioma #BeyondCurriculum #SkillsBeyondSchool

What are the causes of public speaking apprehension?

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