Adam Bunk, MBA Class of 2016
It’s a fact: Public Speaking is three times scarier than the Zombie Apocalypse! At least, that is what the Washington Post found last year in a survey asking Americans what they fear:
Earlier this year, we explored why people fear public speaking. Reasons vary from person to person. Some people have a physical reaction: their body’s “fight or flight” response kicks in and stress hormones take over, causing a racing heart, shaky hands, or weak knees. For some, the challenge is more mental: people cannot avoid thinking of past experiences in which they delivered a poor presentation. Others focus too much on expectations that they believe the audience will have and fret about delivering perfection.
All of these reasons are legitimate, but addressable. There are specific tactics you can practice before, during, and after public speaking make it much less scary. Perhaps most importantly, you should find opportunities to practice in front of a live audience and request feedback.
That is the purpose of SpeechMasters. Whatever the reason for your fear of public speaking, we encourage you to embrace your nerves and face your fears by practicing at our workshops.
Our next Workshop will cover “FOBO – Fear of Blanking Out.” We’ll explore the reasons we “blank,” how to prepare in ways that make a freeze less likely, and what to do if you catch yourself losing your train of thought mid-speech.
Details:
- SpeechMasters Workshop: Fear of Blanking Out
- Tuesday, October 27th, 4:30 to 6 PM
- KMC 3-70
- Please RSVP on CampusGroups!
Whether you are petrified of public speaking, you are already a dynamic speaker who wants a forum to practice, or you fall somewhere in between, we welcome you to join SpeechMasters and practice public speaking with us!