Fear of Public Speaking

So, you're off to college and you are debating whether or not to take that Public Speaking class. It's not required, but it is a recommended class. Still, the fear of speaking in public is one of your greatest fears and you are just not sure what to do. I say do yourself a favor and take the class.

First of all, a lot of students take comfort in the fact that public speaking is something just about everyone fears. In fact, studies continually rank speaking as one of the greatest fears people have, greater than death. As comics have often joked, that means if you are at a funeral, you'd rather be the one being buried than the one giving the eulogy. Still, I say take the class. Other studies show that students who can speak in public tend to get better paying jobs, promotions, and are generally thought of in a more positive light than those who are too intimidated to do so.

One of the best ways to get over any fear is to take action. The action you take will make it easier and easier each time you need to face that fear head on. I think back to when I moved to an area that had snakes, one of my biggest fears. I seriously considered leaving the area and heading back to the safety of the streets of New York.

Eventually, I decided to stay put (at least for the time being as it was my first job in my chosen profession). With this decision, I now needed to learn about these slimy creatures. It was the 16-year-old part-timer who decided to teach me. She explained the first thing I needed to do was tell the difference between a poisonous and non-poisonous snake.

"Why," I asked," if I see any kind of snake, even a garden snake, I'm getting out of there as quickly as I can".

After eventually convincing me that it was important to tell the difference, she explained that all poisonous snakes have heads that are larger than their bodies. Then she went on to explain that not all poisonous snakes have a larger head.

This information then did nothing to help me. I might be able to determine if a snake was definitely poisonous but I could never be sure if a snake was safe (as if there is such a thing as a safe snake).

As if she were reading my mind, she continued, saying, "In this area all poisonous snakes do have a larger body, with the exception of the deadly Coral Snake. The Coral Snake," she continued, "is very pretty. There are two snakes that look alike. One is the Coral and the other is a harmless snake."

In order to know the difference, she told me I should remember the following poem: "Red on black, he's a friendly jack. Red on yellow, stay away from that fellow." Then she wondered, out loud, "Or, is that backwards." I decided I would simply stay away from both snakes.

Armed with this information, I did the only thing that made sense to me. I went and bought the largest flashlight I could find. Every night when I came home, if it were dark, I would take my flashlight and scan the area for snakes before exiting my car and heading inside. Action helps alleviate fear. In fact, not to long ago, I actually touch a friend's pet snake.

While my action may have been silly, it certainly helped. For those who are afraid of public speaking, the best thing to do is gain experience speaking in public. By taking a class with other students, most of who have the same fears as you do, it will go a long way in helping you get over your fear of public speaking.