Overcoming Fear

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking.  ‘Glossa’ is Greek for the word ‘tongue’ and ‘phobos’ Greek for ‘fear’.  It can mean many things to many people and has been a concept known to civilisation for over 2,500 years.

Glossophobia stems from a perception of being judged, rejected or embarrassed whilst speaking in public.  It could also stem from a traumatic experience in your early years.

In the formative years, were you scared when you took your first steps as a toddler? But you did it – and felt super cool afterwards!  In fact you, no doubt, learned to run and jump despite the trips and falls.

When you learned to drive a car for the first time, were you scared of putting this large machine into 60kms per hour for the first time; driving past people and other cars?  But eventually your nerves settled, and you went on to drive, 80kph and 100kph.  You even went on to reverse and parallel park.

Or what about when you first went for a loan.  Did you feel yourself getting muscle tension approaching a lender’s office?  Did you experience shortness of breath or sweaty palms?  However, after later paying out that loan, you had an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and achievement.

If you managed to overcome these things, public speaking is also within your reach.  The parallel to be drawn here, is that if you do something often enough, in supportive environment, you will learn confidence.

In her book, ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway’, Susan Jeffers lists many reasons why facing fear results in an incredible sense of achievement and confidence.  One of her key concepts in this highly esteemed book, is learning to reframe your thoughts.  This technique is used by many psychologists.

When we find a good reason to love a specific task, we can embrace it with less fear.  Finding that reason, may include considerable creative thinking. It may mean focusing on a time when we were confident and bringing elements of that successful scenario into the current one.  For example, the same outfit you wore, the same colour theme, a quote from someone who gave you encouragement (or the person/s themselves).

Pressing past your nerves may mean choosing some form of motivation that that is so strong it overshadows the fear. It may mean looking at yourself in a different lens – for instance, a future version of you.  It may also include an analysis of why there is a fear in the first place.  (The fear may not even be yours; it may be someone else’s that you have been carrying.)

Mel Robbins is a renown public speaker.  She puts a twist on fear, suggesting that it is very similar to excitement.  She suggests ‘if you tell yourself fear is excitement; you are in a totally different mindset to move forward’ (Robbins 2023).  This is backed by Professor Alison Brooks (Brooks 2013) from Harvard Business School who says excitement and fear share similar physiological responses.

Another of the many tactics for overcoming fear is the three P’s:  Purpose, Preparation and Practice.  In her blog, Melinda Souers, describes how powerful these three simple strategies are (Souers 2022).

Understanding your purpose has a strong impact on your motivation.  Purpose can be internal or external.  For instance, your may have a burning desire to move ahead in your career (internal), or you may have a burning desire to address a particular topic for the benefit of your audience (external).

Preparation is also beneficial for improved public speaking performance.  By ensuring you are adequately prepared in your project, you eliminate the risk of embarrassment and project greater confidence in the face of fear.

Practice helps you visualise the expected outcome.  The more you practice, the better equipped you are to handle your project.  Visualising a successful outcome over and over helps your subconscious expect and prepare for that result.

Toastmasters clubs are a safe place to practice not only public speaking, but many leadership qualities within a group dynamic.  At Tropic City Toastmasters, we pride ourselves on being a diverse, friendly, and welcoming group.  We are all there to learn and make mistakes.  We are also there to thrive and become the best version of ourselves.  As toastmasters, we don’t let fear stand in our way.

As a professional organisation, Toastmasters exercise a culture of respect and support.  Regardless of experiences, gender, age, finance, and knowledge, the meeting structure fosters a sense of belonging without fear.

• Brooks, A. (2013). Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement.  Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 2014, Vol. 143, No. 3, 1144-1158
• Jeffers, S. (2006).  Feel the Fear..and Do It Anyway.  Ballantine Books.
• Mel Robbins. (2023, October 30). How Saying ‘I’m Excited’ Can Change Your Brain’s Chemistry & Boost Performance. [Video]. You Tube
• Souers, M. (2022, January, 21).  Public Speaking: Getting Beyond the Fear Through the Three P’s. University of Florida.

More tips for speaking with confidence – Letting go of notes