Public Speaking (210)

Assignments

• Connectives Assignment Speech
• Speech Contest Assignment (30 points)

Speech Anxiety

School of Communication Studies
Dr. Suzy Prentiss
Lecturer
sprenti1(at)utk.edu
(865) 974-0696

Speech Anxiety/Speech Apprehension Workshop Materials

Whether you call it “speech anxiety,” “speech apprehension,” “fear of public speaking,” or just plain “fear,” one thing is certain, the majority of people share those same fears and concerns when it comes to the idea of speaking to a group of people in a formal setting. Sometimes the possibility of giving a speech makes us feel uncomfortable, sometimes those feelings manifest themselves into physical reactions such as sweating, stuttering, feeling flushed, or feeling dizzy. Often we forget what we are going to say, feel very unprepared and unsure, and just want the experience to end. If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone. The good news is that there are many things that can help you deliver an effective speech. The fear does not have to control you. With information, experience, and self-confidence, you can learn to harness that nervous energy and use it to your advantage.

Unfortunately there are many ways to approach giving a speech, though only one is optimal. Some people regard delivering a speech as “no big deal.” Often people with high speech anxiety wish they were like these people – so confident and unafraid. This approach (the “no problem”) is not without its drawbacks; however. People with this outlook often fail to prepare and practice as well as they could. They are often so confident in their speaking abilities (how they say it) that they fail to prepare even a bare outline of their speech and instead just let it fly. Though they usually have good delivery skills, often the content (what they say) lacks direction, clarity and focus. Since the focus has only been on the speaker and their own abilities, they have failed to consider the other crucial part of this communication interaction – the audience. Good speakers respect their audiences and their time. They strive to be informative (maybe persuasive), organized, and interesting. Speakers with “no problem” attitudes often forget how crucial the audience is to the success or failure of their speech. They only focus on themselves.

Conversely, speakers with high speech anxiety/apprehension usually place the emphasis on the wrong place, as well. They tend to focus more on the audience and dwell on concerns such as “what if they laugh?,” “what if they don’t understand me?”, “what if they don’t find me interesting?” Again, there needs to be equal emphasis placed on the speaker and the audience, consideration must be given to what is said (content), how it is said (delivery), and who it benefits (the audience). Speakers experiencing anxiety/apprehension often manage those negative feelings by being well organized and prepared – they balance what they can not control (such as physical symptoms and self doubt) against what they can control (being well prepared and well organized). Recognizing that public speaking skills are not a personal strength, these people tend to invest a lot of time and effort into preparing a speech. These speeches are usually very informative but since they do not regard themselves as capable at public speaking or as interesting, their presentations may not be. They may, for example, read their entire speech verbatim so as not to make a “mistake.” Though informative, “public reading” is not nearly as interesting to the audience nor as effective as good public speaking. They only focus on the audience (positively with respect to providing information yet negatively in terms of their reaction to them as the speaker) and fail to address delivery.

The optimal approach, regardless of your skill level, experience, and/or confidence, is to view each and every speech as a communication opportunity, a chance to share your ideas, information, and personality with others as a beneficial experience. Most people admit that they are fine speaking with others “one-on-one” and perhaps even in a small group. For many that feeling of comfort changes abruptly when it becomes “one-on-many.” If you think about it though, public speaking really is “one-on-one” communication just with multiple “ones.” You are still a person trying to effectively communication with another person. You share a communication opportunity and should take advantage of that privilege. Remember that a speech is not a performance. This is not theatre or acting where you are trying to capture the thoughts and feelings and personality of another. This is about being yourself, sharing what matters to you with others in a way that is mutually beneficial, and celebrating the opportunity to do so.

Never regard a speech as an opportunity to fail. Approach each and every public speaking opportunity as a chance to share ideas, gain experience, and improve your communication skills. Understand that mistakes may and will occur but that improvement can not happen without experience. Avoiding a speech may make you feel better in the short term but in the long run you have missed an opportunity to improve. Regardless of your performance, each time you deliver a speech you gain experience. It is that experience that will help you transform strengths into weaknesses, develop confidence, interact more effectively with your audience, and, overall, become a more skilled public speaker.

Keep in mind that some anxiety/nervousness is to be expected and is normal/healthy. In fact, it would probably be worse if you didn’t care at all that you were going to give a speech (remember the “no problem” approach). Don’t expect that these feelings will magically disappear or that if they don’t go away, you have not improved. Expect that your feelings of anxiety/apprehension/nervousness will lessen over time with information, experience, and practice. Understand that your job is to manage those feelings effectively and use that energy to your advantage.

In order to empower you as a speaker, a 3-point model has been developed to assist you in effectively managing your feelings of speech anxiety/apprehension. This method should help you improve your public speaking skills both emotionally and physically and assist with the delivery and content aspects of your speeches.

UMP

Understand

Manage

Plan

• Understand what speech anxiety/apprehension is
• Manage physical and emotional responses
• Plan a course of action to effectively deal with those responses, including Preparation and Practice

U – Understand

What is speech anxiety/apprehension? Generally speaking, it is those feelings of nervousness, dread, and concern that we experience before, during, and/or after a public speaking experience. Academic researchers use the term “communication apprehension” (CA) to describe this condition and define it as “the fear or anxiety associated with real or anticipated communication with others” (Dwyer, 1998, p. 9). Speech anxiety and speech apprehension are terms used interchangeably (and often simultaneously) to describe similar phenomena. According to Brydon & Scott (1987) “speech anxiety refers to the feelings of discomfort that people experience before or during speaking in public.” (p.58) DeVito (1999) describes communication apprehension as a “feeling of fear or anxiety about a situation in which one must communicate” (p. 58), especially when the communication act takes place in a public forum. Throughout this material, the terms speech anxiety and speech apprehension will both be used to describe the physical, mental, and emotional reactions/responses to the fear, nervousness, and discomfort associated with public speaking opportunities.

Why do we need to know public speaking anyway? Since so many people dislike public speaking to one degree or another, wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have to do it all? Though “yes” may seem the best answer, in truth public speaking is a necessary skill required by many professions and helpful in almost all business, educational, and social situations. In poll after poll, from careers ranging from the legal profession to sales, marketing to engineering, volunteering to teaching, solid public speaking skills are regarded as an asset and often a requirement for success. Instead of thinking of public speaking as a punishment or an evil requirement for graduation, consider it as a meaningful addition to your list of skills and abilities. In fact, public speaking has three key advantages: it develops critical thinking skills, encourages creativity, and plays a key role in leadership (McKay, 2000). Finally, have you ever wished someone would listen to you, that your voice could be heard, and that your ideas could be shared? All of us have. Here is your chance to take full advantage of that opportunity. Everyone has a story to tell, ideas to share, and insight to offer. You will have a captive audience interested in what you have to say. Again, see this as an opportunity and seize it. You will do great!

Have you ever thought, “Something must be wrong with me, no one else seems to get as nervous or anxious about public speaking?” If you have, you are not alone. In fact, just the opposite is true as more people are afraid of public speaking than anything else. Recent polls report that public speaking is the #1 fear of most adult Americans above bankruptcy, dental visits, divorce and even death. If you do experience speech anxiety, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone and are, actually, in the majority. The difference is that others have learned to manage their feelings of anxiety/nervousness and you can, too.

It is common for someone experiencing speech anxiety/speech apprehension to have physical/physiological reactions before, during, and after a speech. This may have happened to you and, if it did, probably created additional concern and embarrassment. Public speaking, from the mere mention of the possibility all the way through the speech itself and even after, can trigger one or all of the following reactions:

• increase breathing (sounding out of breath/winded)
• blushing or the uncontrollable red flush that creeps from the neck to the forehead
• dry mouth (feels like you are dehydrating)
• excessive perspiration (sweaty palms)/feeling very hot
• heart pounding/rapid heartbeat
• trembling/shaking hands and feet/legs
• stomach butterflies or feelings of nausea
• dizziness
• quivering voice and/or stuttering
• fidgeting/distracting mannerisms/excessive nervous energy

Many of these reactions are due to the “Flight or Fight” response, an innate biochemical response in our bodies when our minds perceive a real or imagines threat (Dwyer). In other words, our bodies are physically trying to protect ourselves from the perceived threat posed by the public speaking situation. This is similar to the reaction we would have if we were to walk alone at night and hear a strange sound from behind. Our bodies would tense as we prepared to run, our pupils would enlarge to take in more light, and our hearing would become more acute, as well. Adrenaline would pump throughout our bodies and our heart rate and breathing would increase. Our hands and feet may perspire as blood rushes to our extremities so we can either run or fight. Just as we would feel uncomfortable, unsure, and afraid of the unknown in such a situation, we often experience those same feelings when faced with public speaking. In order to minimize or prevent some of these counterproductive responses, we need to approach giving a speech as a positive opportunity rather than an unfortunate event. We can do this by selecting topics we like, preparing strong outlines, and practicing our presentations over and over and over again. To reiterate, the key to successfully managing these reactions to public speaking is to UMP (Understand, Manage, and Plan).

Whether we experience an actual physical/physiological response to public speaking or not, most, if not all, of us feel a mental/emotional reaction when confronted by our fears and insecurities. Though our fears and anxieties associated with public speaking are as varied as unique as we are as individuals, there are some universal concerns. Among these are:

• Fear of being stared at/Fear of the “spotlight”
• Fear of failure/Fear of making a “mistake”
• Fear of rejection – speech not being god enough/self not being good enough
• Fear of the unknown/”What if . . . ?”

Students in previous Public Speaking classes here at UT have echoed that list and expounded upon it. Among their Top 5 Fears/Concerns were:

• Humiliation
• Losing control
• Hostile/Critical audience
• Forgetting speech/information/organization
• Looking/Acting nervous

How can we conquer these fears and, over time, reprioritize them as mere concerns? The next section, Manage (responses/reactions), will help us do just that.

M – Manage

Now that you have a more thorough understanding of what speech anxiety/apprehension is we will turn our attention to managing those feelings and responses. There are a number of basic tips/rules for good public speaking that apply regardless of one’s level of speech anxiety and/or experience, including:

• Choose a topic that you know well and like
• Have a positive “can do” attitude
• Set realistic goals – remember there is no such thing as a “perfect” speech so don’t try to deliver one
• Regard the audience as a source of support and your reason for giving the presentation in the first place, not as judge and jury hoping you will fail
• NEVER memorize a speech
• Never read your speech verbatim (public reading is not public speaking)
• NEVER apologize for anything at the beginning of your speech
• Know that most signs of nervousness are not noticed by the audience and seem magnified tenfold by those experiencing it

Understand that even the most accomplished speakers experience some level of nervousness/heightened energy before a speech, the key is that they have learned to harness that energy and use it to their advantage in a positive way. They have turned their physical/physiological response into a mental/emotional asset rather than a liability. With information, practice, and experience, you can do that, too. Channeling positive energy is empowering for the speaker and captivating for the audience. No single technique will work for everyone but here are a few tips from former UT public speaking students:

• Give yourself a chance – to fail and then to succeed, you can not improve if you do not try
• Be yourself
• Be prepared
• Do not expect to be perfect

In addition to those good suggestions, relaxation techniques and stress management tools are often recommended to combat speech anxiety and apprehension. Again, the best remedy for your personal reaction to speech anxiety/apprehension is the one or combination that works best for you. Think of what normally makes you feel better when you are stressed and give that a try first. Then, if necessary, consider other possibilities. Here are some options:

• Deep breathing exercises – to reduce heart rate and induce feeling of calmness
• Meditation/Relaxation – do yoga, mediate, stretch, take a bath
• Stress relief – have a massage, listen to music, engage in a favorite hobby/activity
• Exercise – run, lift weights, swim, take an aerobics class
• Maintenance – sleep and eat well
• Find a “happy place” – mentally imagine yourself in a very desirable, stress-free, relaxing, no “public speaking” location (such as the beach, the mountains, the mall, the gym, etc.) and experience that sense of serenity/peace/contentment

P – Plan

Our final step in the UMP model is to Plan a course of action, which includes Preparation and lots and lots of Practice. This may seem simple and even somewhat unnecessary but this is perhaps the most important step of all and makes the difference between good speeches and great speeches. When you plan your speech and create a course of action you need to individualize your speech and select a topic that you know well and like and will be of interest/relevance to your audience. The more you like your topic, the easier it will be to plan your speech and the more enjoyable it will be to listen to. We all make the mistake of selecting a topic of interest to us and then thinking “but no one wants to hear about that.” In reality, if we find the topic/subject interesting and invest time and effort into making it just as stimulating for our audience, they will find it beneficial, as well.

Earlier it was mentioned that a speech should never be memorized not should it be read word for word from a script. For those with speech anxiety/apprehension it should not be written out completely in a detailed outline either. Ideally, a brief topical outline written either as a one-page outline or 3-5 notecards should be used. If you truly know and like your topic, you should be able to discuss it in an interesting and organized manner with someone and remember that a public speaking audience is just a bunch of someones who you will be communicating with all at the same time. Again, it is imperative that you prepare well. Following is a brief sample outline format that should help you effectively organize an Informative or Demonstrative speech.