Who Is Still Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Fear of public speaking is one of the most common human fears – even among people who are very successful in the business world or accomplished professionals.
The fear of going out in front of a group of people and speaking – even about a topic we are familiar with – affects millions of people.
In some ways, the fear of public speaking is a bit irrational when compared to other phobias. Fear of flying or dogs, for example, are more understandable because they can pose a real threat. However, the fear of public speaking is far more widespread.
When we look deeper, there is a good reason: one of the deepest human needs is to be accepted.
The fear of public speaking is at its core the fear of rejection. We are still tribal beings and our need for belonging comes from a time when community meant survival. Today, your survival is no longer connected to belonging to a group, so the fear of public speaking no longer has real value. That means you can fire him.
Many people who are otherwise good drivers fail their driving test because they can’t handle being watched and evaluated. A similar thing happens with public speaking – when there are cameras, colleagues, authorities, or an important audience, our fear of being judged and rejected goes to extremes.
Ideas that carry a strong emotional charge always reach the subconscious mind, because it is emotional. Once accepted, such ideas provoke the same bodily reactions over and over again.
If you have strong negative emotions related to public speaking, they linger in your subconscious and cause real physical symptoms: sweating, dry mouth, nausea, blocking or forgetting lines – all of which can seem like something beyond your control.
The solution? Turning fear into excitement.
It sounds simple, but when you start to associate positive emotions with public speaking, the effect of your thoughts and feelings on your body becomes – positive.
The way you feel and react comes down to two things:
- The images you create in your head
- The words you say to yourself
If you change that, you will also change the way you speak, breathe, and behave in front of others.
Weeks before your speech, start repeating positive affirmations like:
Whenever I have to speak in front of an audience, I do it easily, naturally and with incredible confidence. My voice is clear and confident, and people understand what I am saying. My words are always completely and perfectly understandable because I express myself with ease. People listen to me and respect me…
The more often you tell yourself this, the less negative reactions your body will have when it’s time to give a speech or presentation.
Through RTT therapy with clients who have challenges with public speaking, I work on a subconscious level using hypnosis to change that internal script.
This fear has a name (and numbers to back it up)
Fear of Public Speaking (FoPS), also known as public speaking anxiety, is not just discomfort – it is a serious and disabling form of social anxiety.
- It affects between 21% and 33% of the general population.
- In most cases, it begins in adolescence.
- It is considered the most common form of social anxiety disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of 12.1%
It is characterized by pronounced fear or anxiety in situations where a person is exposed to the gaze, judgment, or evaluation of others – just like in public speaking.
In the long term, this fear can:
- reduce quality of life
- negatively affect education, career, and social relationships
- cause high costs for society (e.g. due to absenteeism from work)
🎤 Public speaking doesn’t have to be a threat. It can be your next big opportunity.
📚 Source: Ebrahimi OV et al. (2019), Frontiers in Psychology
