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The Fear Of Public Speaking
Does it ever leave you?
In my four years as an amateur public speaker, I have been asked this question so many times.
How long does it take to get over the fear of public speaking?
The short answer is never, it never leaves you. The long answer is a little more complicated (like my love life).
Speaking in front of a crowd can be nerve-racking, especially if that crowd is full of strangers studying your appearance, watching your every move, and judging each word that comes out of your mouth. At least that’s what we tend to imagine when we are about to go on stage. The thought can leave you frozen in place or running in the opposite direction. I’d like to share my experience and a few tricks I use to get over the fear. But before I share the how, let’s talk about the why.
Why do we get scared?
The main reason I still shake in my boots before I step on stage is my own mind playing games with my fragile heart. Even before I see the audience outside, I make a hundred thousand assumptions about them. I imagine that the rudest and the most stuck up people on earth are gathered in the crowd waiting to mock and ridicule every single word. And suddenly the questions start bouncing inside my head.
