Phobias are usually defined as irrational fears because the item/situation causing the anxiety cannot normally do as much damage to the person as they believe, but those who worry about public speaking may not agree with this.

Speaking in public to a group of people has been identified as one of the most common phobias and fears felt by many people. Unfortunately, due to the nature of some jobs lots of office workers have to take part in some form of public speaking, which they 'learn' to dread. The key word here is 'learn', because even if a presentation goes well, workers may still fear public speaking every time they take to the stage as they have connected their negative responses with talking to a group.

Fear of fear

When people feel anxious about an event, adrenalin begins to flood their system in order to prepare them for the primal flight or fight response. This can lead to a host of physiological symptoms, such as a racing heart, sweating and a dry mouth, that can make it difficult to speak and think clearly. When you're in the midst of these reactions, it's believed that the flight or fight response begins to override your intellectual grip on your thoughts, so you find it difficult to maintain a clear head and speak eloquently.

Public speakers experiencing these reactions then become fearful of the responses and a circle of anxiety manifests. This fear is ignited by speakers' worries that they will fail at the task at hand by making errors on the stage that will bring them down in the eyes of others. When the flight or fight response kicks in this can heighten fears that they will not get their messages across, as adrenalin prevents them from thinking and acting clearly.

The reality is that most public speakers, however nervous, manage to present the information adequately and those affected by the primal response tend to stumble through events successfully. If you want to get rid of these feelings for good and learn how to overcome these kinds of reactions, then training courses are available. Additionally, there are steps you can take to get in control of the flight or flight response before it begins to dominate your experience.

Preparation

Boost your confidence by knowing your material inside out. This can help you deal with any tricky questions, but also don't be afraid to admit that there are subject areas you are not clear about, if this is the case. Being prepared does not necessarily mean knowing your speech word by word. This in itself could cause extra anxiety as you may worry that you'll forget chunks of information.

Instead, experts advise knowing the subject area and structure of the presentation, with bullet points being a useful tool to guide you if your mind does go blank. Keeping some flexibility this way means your audience has more scope to get involved and respond to you, which helps you build a relationship with attendees. If you're using software or digital devices, check you know how to work them and that the room is set up for the meeting, so you're free to concentrate on delivering the material.

Practice

Establishing your style of presentation is easier when you practice your speech. It's important to ensure that this does not become an object of fear in itself and remember that the exercise is to familiarise yourself with your presentation manner, as well as giving you the opportunity to get to know the material well. If you want to see how you appear to others then consider recording yourself with a camcorder or webcam, or ask a trusted group of friends to act as your audience.

Positive thinking

The root of public speaking fears usually revolve around the impression people have of the audience and their perception of the speaker, which tends to be mostly negative. In order to reduce the attendees' standing in their own minds, some speakers try and disempower the attendees in a comical way, by imagining them with no clothing or dressed up in silly outfits, for example.

Although this may go some way in reducing your fear of their responses, it's also effective to remember that the majority of attendees don't want you feel worried, or be anxious and stumble awkwardly through speeches. Experts remind those worried about public speaking that audiences tend to be on the side of speakers and are rooting for them to do well.