Public Speaking Phobias?

Glossing Over Glossophobia
By David Portney

Here's what Reference.com shows as the definition of Glossophobia:

Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. The word glossophobia comes from the Greek γλῶσσα glōssa, meaning tongue, and φόβος phobos, fear or dread.

Stage fright and fear of public speaking are legendary - but to elevate it to the level of a phobia really just adds gasoline to the fire and causes undue harm to those who wish to conquer that fear and be able to do public speaking with confidence.

Seriously: why place the bar so high concerning an activity that people are already experiencing (at least some) trepidation?

Reminds me of the old story where a math teacher give the class an (unknown to the students) unsolvable math problem to work on during summer break; the teacher is flabbergasted when one of the students returns after summer with a correct solution!

Moral of the story: why set people up for pain or failure in advance?

Sure, at first public speaking can seem scary... So was the first day of school, learning to ride a bike, and many, many other first-time activities.

Look - the benefits of doing public speaking far outweigh any perceived fear (f.e.a.r. = false evidence appearing real) because you can use it to further your career or business very, very quickly and for little or even no money when you follow my suggestions and strategies.

To assist you in getting rid of any stage jitters, here are a few little tips to help you get over common "public speaking phobias":

Hope that helps!

Best,
David