What is Public Speaking Anxiety?

Also commonly referred to as fear of public speaking, performance anxiety, public speaking phobia, presentation anxiety or performance nerves. In various surveys, the fear of performing in public is often one of the highest ranked fears. The fear itself is almost always about feelings of inadequacy or being judged negatively by others.

If you get nervous whilst performing or public speaking then you are feeling the effects of the fight or flight response. This is a natural response to a perceived threat. Its purpose is to ensure that we are prepared physically to deal with whatever that threat might be. The usual result is that we either run away and avoid the threat or physically fight it. The perceived threat itself may be physical or psychological in nature. (e.g. potential physical harm, looking foolish, making a scene, not being accepted or liked, appearing weak, etc.) When it is activated, hormones such as adrenaline are released into the bloodstream to prepare your body for action. The fight or flight response actually functions extremely well, however problems arise when it is triggered in situations which we simply can't avoid or fight our way out of. Such as meetings, interviews, speeches, performances or presentations.

The effects of the fight or flight response include an increase in our heart rate to pump blood faster to the lungs, muscles and brain. We breath more rapidly to increase our oxygen levels, our muscles tense ready for action and many functions not necessary for fighting or escaping, such as digestion or reproduction, slow or stop.

When people experience a fear of public speaking they commonly experience some of the following symptoms: excessive sweating, breathing difficulties, rapid heart rate, tingling, tightening of the throat, frequent need to urinate, feeling light-headed, 'going-blank', trembling, stammering, digestive problems, sense of inadequacy or inferiority.

The fear of public speaking is an anxiety, and like all anxieties it ultimately begins with your thoughts about the current or possible future situations. You may be aware of these thoughts, but often they are just outside our conscious awareness. If your mind perceives a threat then it triggers the release of the various stress hormones into the body which produces the symptoms you experience.

The part of your mind that deals with anxiety doesn't really tell the difference between reality and imagination. So thinking about a future situation in a negative way, by worrying or 'what-if'-ing will actually activate the fight or flight system, in much the same way as if you were there in reality.

Due to the way anxiety functions, it is almost impossible to fight it head on. You've probably already tried to control it using will-power alone, and failed miserably. In fact the more you fight and try to control the anxiety, the worse it often gets! An obvious solution is not to fight the symptoms, but to focus on and change what's actually causing them.

Anxiety starts with a perception of danger. Therefore the most obvious place to focus when looking for a solution is with the thoughts that create the negative perception. Change the thoughts so that the situation is no longer perceived as dangerous and the anxiety will never be triggered. Any skilled psychotherapist should be able to help, and it is actually a much easier process than many people realise.

Common situations which can trigger fear of public speaking and stage fright can include any situation where you become the centre of attention and feel you are being judged negatively: presentations, acting auditions and performances, musical performances, meetings, interviews, wedding speeches, exams, speaking on the telephone (particularly when in front of others).

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