Do you have a fear of public speaking?

I am consistently amazed by the claims that the fear of public speaking ranks higher than the fear of death for some people. When I have to speak or give a presentation in front of people, whether it's 1 or 1000, I love it. I have no butterflies, no stage fright...I look forward to it.

How about you?

I did competitive speech and debate all four years in high school, got into sales after that, and I've done a lot of public speaking on political issues since I went back to college.

I'm actually more comfortable in front of large audiences. I hate speaking in small groups, or :scared: on the phone with strangers.

However, when I'm actually doing it, I'm very very nervous.

Always have. I loved doing dramatic recitations and presentations in school. Won prizes for it. I used to be a performance poet.

I'm a terrible stagehound.

The bigger the crowd/group, the better. I'm also best shooting from the hip as opposed to being heavily prepped.

I can do scripted stuff with no problems, but I like having the flexibility to expand on anything the audience really seems into, or to flesh out something that doesn't seem to be connecting.

Where we took random questions from the attendees. Totally unscripted. I was told by folks, including the event organizer, that I did better than anyone else, and there were some heavy hitters there.

I was, of course, sitting next to a "terrorist", so maybe I was inspired by that. :eyes:

To put it mildly.

But when I push myself to get started things seems to just flow. It's energizing after you get into it.

and I've indeed struggled though my share of stage fright.

All you need to do (and isn't this an easy prescription?) is to spend a number of years playing country music in Texas (in my case in the 1970s, not sure what it's like these days) and / or playing Irish music with a healthy component of bluegrass in any number of bars...

That'll get you all set to talk to any crowd, in any situation. Trust me on this; I'll own any room I walk into in ten minutes. Not boasting, just the truth. Takes years of practice, but it CAN be done.

Redstone

It mimics a roller coaster ride for me. Before I speak is like the slow uphill crawl to the top when you know it's going to be fun but the anticipation gives you the butterflies. Stepping on to the stage or up to the podium is like reaching the peak, and then speaking is the exhilarating rush of flying down. I love it.

The worst job of my life.

I'm the sort of person who really needs to be able to say whatever the hell I want.

Not like you want friends.

a shot. Huge mistake. I quite teaching for almost two decades after that horrible experience. Shudder even to think about it.

problem, but before a group of their parents I'm a nervous wreck.

I'm currently a substitute teacher, so fortunately that hasn't been an issue.

I had jitters pre-public speaking until my student teaching
assignment.

That fear is completely gone, now.

I'm nervous about it until I start; then, with a prepared speech, I feel like I'm in full control and I'm gonna knock those people on their 'tocks. That comes from having good notes and having rehearsed until I'm comfortable with it.

Impromptu... depends on the subject. If it's something I know well and/or I'm passionate about, no prob.

It helps to be a ham. :)

I get light headed...or heavy-headed...my hands start to tingle and then go numb. I feel like I'm going to faint.

And it's not because I'm not used to public speaking. I've done it hundreds of times. That's just how it is.

but I should say, if I have no idea what I'm about to say or do, I'm scared beyond belief. If I know what's about to come out of my mouth, I'm fine.

i still get nervous before hand, but once i get up there it usually gets better. at the afscme conference i spoke in front of 10,000.. now that crowd, i won't lie - my knees were shaking before the speech :rofl:

but once i get started talking about the subjects i'm passionate about, i'm at ease and excited to speak about them.

I've been in outside sales most of my adult life and no matter how much practice, it terrifies me. Even a Dale Carnegie course in public speaking in which (honestly) I won almost every award, made it better.

I can do one on one or small groups very well, and I'm always the one people come to when they need someone to listen and trust, but being the center of attention has always made me uncomfortable. I wonder if this has anything to do with being a middle child.

Prior to experiencing it, I would have guessed that it would paralyze me. Not so, for some reason!

quite happy about it. Public speaking sends too much attention in my direction and I hate it.

hyperventilate. Acting, teaching, hosting. A brazillion deaths and for nothing. :grr:

As soon as I start and focus on the audience, it's fun.

So screwy.

But if I am prepared then I am okay.

If I know what I'm talking about it's no problem at all. If I'm out of my element I'm as nervous as the next person of making an idiot out of myself. The most people I've ever spoken in front of at the same time... I'd have to say about 300 or so. It was at the spur of the moment at a public debate and I decided I ought to say something. That made me nervous because I didn't have a lot of time to compose my thoughts, however people who ran into me for days afterwards said I spoke really well and they liked what I had to say, so I guess that was a success.

It has helped immensely. Plus, we have an offbeat group so that helps too

I'll often have a panic attack if I have to speak in front of a group. I get physically ill. :puke:

but Officer Training School cured me of that by forcing me to make all kinds of presentations on many subjects and my first years in the Air Force pushed that fear futher back due to the many presentations I had to give to audiences including a room full of senior officers (lots of eagles and stars facing down my lonely gold and silver bars)

Now as long as I feel comfortable on the subject and even sometimes when I'm not that familiar with the subject but know the audience will not have undue expectations I can actually enjoy it.

hyperventilate. It's not a pretty sight.

But if you give me a choice of giving a speech to 500 people, or calling ten people on the phone, I'll do the speech.

I really hate to make phone calls.

Even before I started getting panic attacks. The only thing that helps is being exceptionally prepared. To do well in class presentations, I rehearsed and studied any supplemental material that might be necessary in case of questions or discussion. I wasn't good at impromptu speech if I wasn't that well prepared even if I would have been able to get full or nearly full credit on the subject if it appeared as an essay question on a written test.
One of the reasons that I volunteered to teach ESL to adults was to help me with that anxiety. I got nervous every time. Some of the students evidently commented though to the program directed that I was a very good teacher. I hope to get back into it after I get used to life after I have my baby.

I was in a lot of plays in college and community theater, though, so was able to enjoy it even as I feared it.

I don't love it either.

I can when forced :D

:hi:

Nothing energizes me more! I love the challenge of trying to engage my audience, and to facilitate participation...it's the frosting on my cupcake!

Not at all.

I've made many speeches for work in front of large groups.

Also for work, I've been on the local TV news, on a local radio station and had videos up on the work's web page.

I don't mind it. It's not so bad.

I am that smart ass in the back of the room, or even the front row that has no problem asking tough questions or starting an argument, but make me stand up, or *shudder* hand me a mic?? I shake, forget what I am saying, and a black cloud of strange tunnel vision happens. Notes? you mean these paper objects with markings on them in my hand? I can't see them.

Fear is kind of an understatement. Never puked though. Probably 'cause my mouth is too dry.