David Portney

Public Speaking Training on the Root Cause of Public Speaking Fear



Posted: Sunday, November 02, 2008

by David Portney
Academy of Public Speaking

Having taught many, many public speaking trainings over the years I've observed that at the core, fear of public speaking boils down to three common fears:

1. Fear of your mind going blank during your presentation.

2. Fear of making a mistake or not knowing the answer to a question.

3. Fear of appearing foolish.

In a way, all fear of public speaking really comes down to a single root fear: fear of rejection. Fear of public speaking wouldn't exist if we didn't actually care what other people think about us.

Worrying that the audience will reject you and make negative comments or have negative reactions or criticism is what creates the fear of public speaking.

In most cases it's normal to have fear of rejection from early childhood experiences of rejection in school and these are not deep psychological problems requiring counseling. Most of the time getting some public speaking training can give you the confidence in your abilities to overcome that fear of public speaking rooted in childhood experiences.

Some people experience significant relief simply by discovering the root cause of their fear. When they confront the original experience or experiences that started the "chain of pain", they can see it as being part of growing up and being an immature child who's afraid of being judged by their peers.

Confronting the root cause of fear of public speaking can create a change on a "gut level". You could think of this as "reprogramming the software" or as "deleting it from the hard drive".

Dealing with the root cause can literally cause a neurological shift in how your brain represents public speaking, but it's important to reprogram and reframe that early experience and not merely relive it.

Don't dwell on the root cause experience; instead, transform the meaning of that root cause experience into something empowering.

Summary:
Try uncovering the root cause of your fear of public speaking - see those early childhood rejections for the simple growing pains that are natural and even necessary in life. If that causes a significant change in your fear of public speaking, that's terrific. But if not, just move on to other techniques.

Don't give up!-it's 100% possible for you to conquer fear of public speaking and reap the many rewards that are waiting for you. And any public speaking training worth its salt will address fear of public speaking and support you in overcoming that fear once and for all.

For more public speaking training articles visit http://www.bestpublicspeakingtraining.com

David Portney is the author of "129 Seminar Speaking Success Tips" and the founder of the Academy of Public Speaking located in Redondo Beach, California where he personally conducts specialized workshops and public speaking trainings. Visit David's website with a significant assortment of public speaking training articles:
http://www.bestpublicspeakingtraining.com

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