Being able to communicate your ideas clearly and present them in the form of public speaking is one of the key components of success in many areas of life. If you are a good public speaker, you can advance your career, improve your business and meet your goals. However, public speaking is also known for being a scary prospect. A lot of people have a great fear of speaking in front of an audience. 

Glossophobia is not an uncommon condition. 1 in every 4 people reports that they are afraid of speaking in front of others. But it is important to understand the psychological aspect of it. It is not the quality of speech that makes it scary for us, but rather how we feel, think and act in front of others. These are some of the contributing factors to our fear: 

1. Thoughts 

Our beliefs about public speaking and our roles in the process contribute to some anxiety. Usually, it is a case of overestimated stakes of giving a public speech. We perceive the ordeal as one that can potentially harm our image and credibility. In regards to public speaking, we tend to think of ourselves in a self-deprecating manner, i.e. as bad speakers, being boring, etc. 

With all that in mind, it is important we consider communication and performance orientation. Being performance-oriented means, we are more likely to think of public speaking as an activity that requires special skills, and it is our audience that determines how well equipped we are with these skills. Communication orientation is all about the way we express our ideas and present information. The focus falls on getting through to our audience. It is clear that having communication orientation is more important for tackling the fear of public speaking, and is perhaps the reason why many don’t seem to have a problem. 

2. Physiology

Fear and anxiety drive our autonomic nervous system to respond to a stimulus that we perceive as dangerous. When we face a threat, our bodies react, and it is this hyperarousal that leads to us feeling the way we do about public speaking. It is only natural then that we want to avoid having to speak in front of an audience. For people who are predisposed to anxiety, there is an even bigger problem: they feel anxious about their anxiety of public speaking. It is easy to see how our physiology can betray us and make us want to avoid public speaking. 

3. Skills

One more factor that has to do with fear of public speaking is our level of expertise in the area. Usually, it is the people who work to develop their skills that can easily overcome the fear of public speaking. There is always the aspect of natural-born good speakers, as history shows us many prominent figures like that. However, by taking the extra effort, we can gain more competence in the field of public speaking, which in turn minimizes anxiety and leads to better success. 

4. Situations

Some situations in life can make us quite anxious about presenting in front of the public. The degree of valuation, the status difference between our listeners and us, how new the audience is and our lack of experience can easily contribute to fear of public speaking. All of these scenarios can be troubling, especially if you have never encountered them before. 

Knowing more about what creates fear of public speaking in us is necessary if we are to conquer this fear.