The Number One Fear: Public Speaking

Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think about what you fear most in life? Some people will automatically assume death. Death is a very popular fear, for nobody is actually ready to die, and almost everyone is terrified of death.

However, there is one fear that rings most powerful in most people. Public Speaking. For some reason, people in general are horrified by the thought of speaking to a large audience.

Regardless of the topic, people, or occasion, people hate talking in front of groups of other people. There are several factors which can make public speaking much worse, of course. If the topic is one you're unfamiliar with, or if you don't know a larger selection of the audience, you're going to be even more frightened. However, as a general rule, people are going to be afraid to an extent of any public speaking scenarios.

I consider one of my best topics of knowledge currently to be the field of paintball. Of course this isn't exactly a popular field, but nonetheless, it's definitely a hobby and personal interest, so I could talk about it for hours without boring an audience or myself.

However, why is it that once I get into an audience full of people, I'm terrified and might not even have a clue about what I'm going to say.

I personally probably wouldn't experience these effects, because I'm a generally comfortable public speaker, and I've gained much confidence from teachers and peers about my public speaking, as my skills have far outran that of most of my peers.

However, there is still no way for me to out-do all possible fear in any public speaking situations. The only real way to get rid of the potential fear of a speaking situation is to practice. The more one practices and gets used to speaking to people in public, the much easier it will be for that person to speak in public. As with anything, practice makes perfect. Although I doubt anyone can totally eliminate the fear of public speaking through any amount of practice. You're always going to be a bit nervous, and it's very difficult to overcome this feeling.

I recommend to anyone who's going to give a speech to a group of people to practice repeatedly, know your speech inside and out. Be prepared, know your speech, and be ready for a large audience. Practice with your family and friends first, let the situation grow gradually during practice, don't wait until you're standing in front of a thousand people to become afraid.