Does Public Speaking Give You the Fear?

You’re not alone?

The official name for the fear of public speaking is glossophobia. According to research*, only 10% of us actually suffer from full-on, debilitating glossophobia, but around 80% of people dislike public speaking, and feel somewhat nervous and maybe a little bit nauseous at the idea. 10% of people love being in the spotlight.?

Love it or hate it, some form of public speaking is a necessity for many kinds of jobs. And the more senior you get, the higher the expectation that you’ll be happy - and equipped - to perform at seminars, events, workshops, and in front of a camera in the name of profile building, business development, and giving your organisation a ‘human face’.

Our Cloud Practice Lead, Brett Hargreaves, recently hosted several successful, buzzing events at Leeds Digitial Festival, and regularly holds round table talks on all things Cloud, and it’s safe to say he bosses it everytime. Likewise, our Head of Operations, Matt Pickin, is a brilliant public speaker, entertaining internal teams and external associates with his deadpan humour and easy style. It’s hard to believe these two have their struggles with public speaking - but they do. Here, in their own words, they talk about the reasons behind their dislike for public speaking and share top tips on making it look as easy as pie…?

Do you enjoy standing up and speaking to a room of people or in front of a camera??

Brett: Yes and no. The thought of it is often the worst part, but once I get into it and start talking about a subject, it can become quite enjoyable.

Matt: Nope.?

What is it about public speaking that makes you dislike it???

Matt: When you break it down by audience and context, it’s often a situation where people want you to do well. But I think it’s because I’m out there on my own, and if does go wrong, there’s nowhere to hide at that moment.?

Brett: The fear of coming across as if I don’t know what I’m doing.

Have you ever had any training or is it something you've had to learn???

Brett: Generally no, I’ve figured it out by watching others, but I have been on the odd short course and watched a few Ted Talks.?

Matt: No training, just learning from experience.

What 'style' of public speaking do you go for?

Matt: Depends on the context, but I always try to bring in a little humour and personality. If it’s something like a best-man speech, then visual aids are great for breaking things up. I always plan but try to go unscripted if it's work-related and a topic I know very well.?

Brett: Visual Aids definitely, and ‘semi-scripted’ – I usually script out what I want to say, but then I just pull out the key points to use in the event. Having it fully scripted can come across as robotic and your voice tends to become monotone.

How much public speaking have you done in previous roles before Iridium??

Brett: I have a lot of experience presenting in internal meetings, and I have performed some online events for third parties, like Redmond Magazine.?

Matt: Best man and groom speeches, and a fair amount when I was a teacher.?

Has it become easier over time??

Matt: Yes. The nerves don’t go away, but as with anything, repetition helps and you get a bit better at reducing the time it takes to prep and knowing what goes down well - or the opposite.

Brett: Yes. Practice makes perfect. But I’m always nervous.

When you know you have to speak in public, when do the nerves kick in?

Brett: Usually the day before.

Matt: Mildly in the days and weeks before in terms of making sure I prep, and then on the day, the real fear kicks in.

How do you prepare to ensure the session goes well??

Matt: Upfront planning and rehearsing. Yet, if it’s supposed to be humorous, then testing your script on an audience of one or two can be a bad idea. I did this for a best man’s speech with my wife and sister. They said it was good but their reactions read like they were listening to a eulogy. In the wedding setting, however, it went really well, showing how the audience and atmosphere can make a huge difference. Also, my wife and sister don’t find me funny.??

What tips would you give to other people who don't enjoy public speaking (but must do it in their role)??

Brett: Take every opportunity to practice in front of people – even if it’s just your family or friends.

Matt: If really nervous, then plan well ahead but keep it simple and build from there. The more natural you can make it sound and show your personality, the more well-received it's likely to be.

Do you think it's an important skill in business?

Matt: Unfortunately yes. I’d refuse if I didn’t know it was important in social and work settings. If you lead people, you’ll always have situations where you need to speak publicly, and to shy away from this just doesn’t look great. It’s also good for your own self-confidence when it goes well and the feedback is good, so it’s worth putting yourself through it.

Brett: I'd say there are exceptions. I know a lot of very successful people who refuse to do any form of public speaking.

Video content and events are increasingly important from a marketing point of view. With this in mind, do you think people need more training or support in public speaking??

Brett: If you need to perform public speaking, then yes, courses AND practice do help a lot. I’d also recommend a book called ‘Presence’ by Amy Cuddy.

Matt: Absolutely. There’s a lot out there to support beyond just the repetition of just doing it. The more tools you can have to help you through, the better.

What are the positives??

Matt: Performing a social speech that gets the laughs after all the prep is actually a really uplifting experience. As with most things, when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone, you get a sense of pride once you’ve done it.

Brett: Once it’s over I do feel both elated and proud of myself.? I love it when people want to talk in more detail about the subject after the event – after all, sparking a bigger conversation is what it's all about.

Who do you admire as a public speaker??

Brett: Steve Jobs, Simon Sinek.

Matt: My dad. He can stand up on demand with no prep on pretty much any topic and talk with composure and confidence… I think he actually enjoys it. I’m not sure I could ever go off the cuff like that so every credit to him.

If you’d like to share your own experiences or tips with Brett and Matt, please don’t hesitate to drop them a LinkedIn message. They’d love to hear from you.

*https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliawuench/2021/10/04/how-to-improve-your-fear-of-public-speaking/?sh=2e149e5b54ea