Embrace Excitement: The Surprising Solution to Overcome Public Speaking Dread
The fear of public speaking can truly feel like preparing for a life-or-death battle.
Your eyes dilate.
Your heart rate picks up.
Your breathing quickens.
Everything inside you starts screaming “Danger! Run!”
If giving a speech or speaking up with a conflicting view sounds daunting - cue sweaty palms - you are not alone. According to a Swedish study around 77% of the general population reports public speaking as their greatest fear [1], some fearing it even more than death.
But this fear does not have to hold back your career.
Over 90% of people believe that the best way to manage performance anxiety is to try to calm down [2]. But this is the wrong tactic. The most effective tactic is actually to adopt an opportunity mindset and get excited!
An experimental psychology study [2] conducted by the Harvard Business School found that
“Compared to those who attempt to calm down, individuals who reappraise their anxious arousal as excitement feel more excited and perform better.”
Think about it - the state of arousal that we call fear is in many ways physiologically equivalent to excitement. Label the arousal state as “I’m terrified” and it creates feelings of dread. Label this state as “I’m excited” and you come across as more persuasive and confident to your audience.
How do you get into an opportunity mindset? With self-talk!
Simple statements like “I’m excited” or “Get excited!” before launching into a presentation shifts your mindset into one of opportunity as opposed to one of threat. I personally use a combination of body scanning and visualizations to root myself in a seat of power before delivering a presentation.
If you know that you freeze, try adopting an opportunity mindset before speaking by simply stating “I’m excited right now!” And remember everyone gets nervous before a speech, even seasoned speakers - 90% of the population reports some level of shyness before speaking [3].
You don’t have to feel confident to take action, but rather getting into action with small steps will help build your confidence. You’ve got this.
Furmark T, Tillfors M, Everz P, Marteinsdottir I, Gefvert O, Fredrikson M. Social phobia in the general population: prevalence and sociodemographic profile. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1999; 34(8):416–424.
Brooks, A.W. "Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 143, no. 3 (June 2014): 1144–1158. (Received Outstanding Dissertation Award by International Association for Conflict Management 2013.)
https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/public-speaking-statistics#key-public-speaking-statistics
