On the Scale stage of Startup SAFARI Virtual Experience, we welcomed Faiza Chaarani, life coach in oral communication, who spoke to us about public speaking.
It turns out that the fear of public speaking is the second human fear after the fear of death. Let’s find out together what it is!
This article is a recap of his passage. However, you can view the video through the link at the bottom.
What is fear of public speaking?
This fear can be summed up in one simple phrase: IT IS THE FEAR OF FAILING. It is a fear not to be taken lightly. Sometimes people who have this fear, may just miss an opportunity, and not seize it because of this urge to stay hidden, to stay in their comfort zones, to run away to feel safe.
They may miss great opportunities that can help them evolve and push them forward, without even knowing it.
This desire to stay away from the gaze of others, this desire not to attract attention, not to feel like the center of interest for fear that people in front of them will judge them on their behavior, their way of thinking and expressing themselves, their gesticulation, their way of seeing things… All these fears are summarized in the desire to stay in their comfort zone by preferring not to take the initiative to speak in public.
The causes
What we say is us, and what we don’t say is us too! When we tell ourselves that it is difficult to speak in public, our brain picks up the information and convinces itself that it is really difficult.
All the words we say are part of our personality. They affect our brain and they also shape the way we live. It is not related to intellectual abilities or to being rather sociable, as some people think. You can be sociable and you can enjoy contact with people.
But, when we have to speak in public, our brain says no. It is mostly related to the experience of the person in question, his failures and successes, his childhood, his self-confidence and his vision of things.
It’s a whole bunch of emotions
There is not necessarily a method to remedy it. It’s a whole bunch of emotions, and obviously you have to believe in your emotions, because they’re what lead us to understand our inner state. So it’s the emotions that matter the most.
Let’s go back a year or two. If you ask yourself what you remembered from the last conference you attended more than a year ago, you may not remember what was said, the words that were used and the phrases that were said.
However, what we can keep in mind is the emotions we had during this conference.
Faiza Chaarani calls people back one year after the coaching sessions to see what they remember and what they keep in mind. 83% of people remember non-verbal and vocal communication when speaking in public. It is therefore the tone, the voice, the body, the eyes and the look that will be remembered, as opposed to 17% of the content transmitted by verbal communication.
Who says fear, says danger.
Humans are only afraid when they feel in danger, when they feel that something can make them upset, can hurt them physically or emotionally. Scientifically, this is a biological reaction. Our body is programmed and made to react when it is in danger. Our brain receives signals, and all this can be reflected on the outside.
Signs that a person is afraid of public speaking
- Reddening
- Dry throat
- Trembling
- Stammering
- Loss of words
- Sweating
- Difficulty breathing
- Looking at the sky for fear of forgetting the words
- Looking at the ground instead of the audience
- Putting your hands behind your back or behind your pockets
Tips for successful public speaking
- Being aligned : Alignment is done in 4 stages : the fact of thinking, the feelings related to those thoughts; what we can say and what we can do (our actions). A human being is most aligned when these four areas are as close together as possible.
- Interact with those present through eye contact, with gesture, tone of voice.
- Getting into the habit of daring, of carrying out that challenge, of challenging yourself and not missing an opportunity that allows you to move forward.
- Be yourself, don’t try to be like someone else.
- Work on yourself, have your way of getting attention and catching glances.
- Respect in return the way of thinking different than one’s own.
- Getting the message across in a simple, effective, clear and unambiguous way but above all being convinced of the message you are putting across.
Follow the link to watch the video.