Do You Have Glossophobia? What It Is and How to Get Rid of It.
Fear of public speaking is called glossophobia and if uncontrolled, can be the downfall of your talk, leaving your speechless, sweaty and stranded on a stage.
Fear can be crippling, it takes over and has the power to completely overwhelm and consequently destroy our confidence. Learn to harness your glossophobia, however, and it has the power to energize the animalistic instincts within you and you’ll become a natural at public speaking.
In a previous blog post, I wrote about nerves in an article named “Train Yourself to Be a Good Public Speaker From Home” which will be of use if you are nervous and feel unprepared with an upcoming speech.
Glossophobia is known to trigger certain physical responses:
- Dry mouth
- Need to urinate
- Nausea
- Body tension
- Headache
- Breathing difficulty
Let’s be honest, none of these are appealing when standing in front of a crowd, and I’ve experienced some of these. The first time I ever performed on stage, I almost peed my pants (I was playing Glinda the good witch though and my dress has as many layers as an onion, so had I really urinated onstage, I’m sure it would have gone unnoticed.) But I’m sure my twelve year old self would have not recovered quickly from the embarrassment.
So how do you control your glossophobia? Here are a couple of tips to harness your nerves and use them to your advantage for
Pick a Mantra
A mantra is a phrase or word that you repeat continuously to aid you focus your mind when meditating. As a form of mental prep, and to ensure you empty your mind, a mantra will help you when nerves are so out of control that hundreds of negative scenarios are dancing through your mind. By repeating your mantra, you are focusing your mind on your own narrative and ingraining the narrative you want to manifest.
If unsure as to what kind of mantra you want to pick, think about what you want the effect to be.
You can go down the motivational route:
‘I can do this’ allowing a sense of empowerment.
Or the grateful route:
‘Thank you’ is effective and simple, allowing you to express gratitude which is always a good things before stepping up on a stage.
Or even the whimsical route:
Perhaps a favourite sentence from a film, book, or song which will help distract and which you may already associate with joyous memories.
Conditioning yourself with a mantra will help stabilize your nerves and allow you to center yourself before stepping on that stage.
Drink Water (but not too much)
Dry mouth is a common side effect of extreme nerves, and if you’ll be speaking in public, not ideal at all. So it is important to keep your throat hydrated before your public speech but remember that equally, phantom pees are also a real threat before public speaking. This sensation actually stems from the adrenaline release in your body which may stimulate the need to urinate. Consequently, keep yourself well hydrated but make sure you don’t overwater yourself and turn that psychological fear into a real possibility.
Also, remember that though caffeinated drinks may seem appealing to give you that energetic kick, they may cause unnecessary jitters and cause more harm than good.
Trust in Your Audience
It’s important to believe that people are going to be rooting for you. No one goes to a talk and hopes to be bored and entertained, we all sit there hoping to be amused whilst being taught something. It is important to remember that no one is out to get you, people are on your side.
It can also help if you identify some friendly faces in the crowd that you find comforting and you can use in order to ground your vision. Often when we get nervous we have a very static gaze, and when you’re speaking in front of an audience, it’s vital to make everyone feel included and make sure that your attention is evenly split with the crowd and you make everyone feel included.
Having spotted some people pinpoints (which incidentally is a fun tongue twister) will help you remember to keep your eye line varied and to distribute your gaze evenly around the room.
Breathe Deep
Breathing exercises are vital when controlling nerves. It can be so easy to psyche ourselves out and breathing deep can help calm nerves by lowering your blood pressure. Breathing deeply sends messages to your brain telling you to relax and is known to relieve tension. Breathing can also help with nerve headaches and body tensions.
Try:
Breathing in on a count of three seconds, hold for three and release for three seconds. Repeat this three times.
or
Breathe in for three seconds, hold for three and exhale for as long as you possibly can, once you think you have no more air to exhale, clench your bum cheeks, exhale that final bit of air left and then breathe in.
Take A Moment
If you find that you have stepped in front of your audience, and your nerves are overwhelming, don’t throw yourself into your talk.
Instead, allow yourself to take a moment, ground yourself, let the space feel comfortable and take a breath while looking out at your audience. You won’t have too much time, but allowing yourself to acclimatize to your area and audience is vital in order to ‘own the space’ and feel confident. Taking a couple of seconds in order to center yourself and your thoughts is a good investment and won’t go down badly (provided it isn’t an incredibly long pause.) A little beat to increase tension, and share a silent moment of kindred with the audience is always allowed though.
Know That Your Nerves Are There to Help
As crippling as they can seem, nerves are a sign that you care, and they will keep you fighting to do your best. They are a sign that you are pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and often are at the forefront of breakthroughs.
I hope you manage to control your nerves, they aren’t there to ruin your presentation and as long as you can control them, can actually enhance it.
Best of luck and I hope you can control that Glossophobia!
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