Chapter 3 - Managing Speech Anxiety
OBJECTIVES
• To understand what makes us anxious about public speaking.
• To pinpoint the onset of your anxiety and plan to overcome it.
• To use proven strategies to build your confidence.
• To use visualization and relaxation techniques to control anxiety.
• To enjoy the occasion.
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Identify what makes you anxious about public speaking
A. Researchers have discovered several reasons people fear public speaking,
including lack of experience, having a previous negative experience, feeling
different from audience members, and an uneasiness with being the attention
center.
B. Lack of positive experience can contribute to high anxiety levels, leading many
to avoid public speaking altogether, when more experience would be a big factor
in overcoming speech anxiety.
C. Feeling different from others, and being overly sensitive to these
perceived differences, such as personal idiosyncrasies, can increase
speaking anxiety.
D. Being the center of attention, and feeling conspicuous, can cause a speaker
to focus on the “me,” thereby increasing sensitivity and increasing
anxiety.
1. A speaker feeling that his or her anxiety is more noticeable than it is
in actuality is termed the illusion of transparency.
2. Such self-consciousness can distract speakers from the speech itself.
II. Pinpoint the onset of public speaking anxiety
A. Some people will experience anxiety the moment they learn that they must give a speech.
This is known as pre-preparation anxiety.
B. Preparation anxiety occurs when a person begins to prepare a speech. Research indicates
that for the majority of people, anxiety is lowest during the preparation phase, suggesting
that immersing oneself in preparation may improve confidence.
C. Pre-performance anxiety occurs at the point a person realizes that he or she will be giving
a speech—usually during the rehearsal for the speech.
D. Performance anxiety most often affects people at the onset of the speech, usually
during the introduction phase.
E. People with high trait anxiety are likely to feel anxious much of the time, whereas people
with low trait anxiety will experience anxiety only in novel situations.
III. Use proven strategies to build your confidence
A. Preparing and practicing build confidence. Feeling confident that you know your
material and have adequately rehearsed your delivery reduces anxiety while
speaking.
1. You should begin preparing your speech as soon as possible after it
is assigned.
2. Once your speech is prepared, you should rehearse it several times.
You can especially benefit from rehearsing in front of a small
audience of three to eight people.
B. Modify your thoughts and attitudes about public speaking. View public speaking as
a valuable, worthwhile, and challenging activity.
C. Visualization, mentally seeing yourself gives a quality speech, is a highly
successful way to reduce nervousness, and helps you increase positive
expectations associated with speechmaking.
D. Activating the relaxation response by using techniques such as meditation and
controlled breathing before and during a speech gives the speaker a sense of
control over physical manifestations of anxiety. In fact, practicing these
techniques can improve how you respond to stress by slowing your heart and
breathing rates, lowering your blood pressure, increasing blood flow to major
muscles, and reducing muscle tension.
1. Meditation involves sitting in a quiet place, relaxing the muscles, and
breathing slowly as you repeat a meaningful phrase or prayer.
2. Stress-control breathing begins with the speaker inhaling and allowing
the abdomen to expand. The air is exhaled while the abdomen is
contracted. While breathing rhythmically, the speaker should focus on a
single soothing word, such as calm.
E. Use movement to minimize anxiety
1. The practice of incorporating natural gestures takes the speaker’s focus
off the self and places it on the message.
2. Movement, such as walking behind the podium, helps to relieve the
speaker’s tension and holds the audience’s attention.
3. Exercising prior to the speech can sharpen your mental focus and help
you prepare for more fluid movement when speaking.
F. Enjoy the occasion
1. The speaker should seek pleasure in the occasion. Allowing yourself to
enjoy giving a speech will ultimately lead to satisfaction and
empowerment.
2. Public speaking can be both challenging and exciting, allowing you
the opportunity to influence people.
G. Learn from feedback
1. Speech evaluations are intended to help you identify ways to
improve your public speaking skills.
2. Objective evaluations, such as those from instructors or
classmates, tend to be more helpful than your own subjective
evaluations, which are often distorted.
