It’s Not Luck, It’s Your Preparation that helps you Succeed!

 

Why Public Speaking Feels So Scary

Public speaking is one of the most common fears. According to a survey conducted by the University of Florida in 2022, 75% experience fear when speaking in public. Having all eyes on you can make it feel like there is a spotlight on any mistake you made. Fortunately, there are a few things that we can do to help calm the fear. First, we must break down where the fear of public speaking comes from, how to change your mindset, and finally, talk about tips to use the next time you have to present. Although public speaking triggers deep biological and evolutionary responses, understanding those roots allows us to manage them through mindset and intentional presentation.

 

The Fight-or-Flight “Brain Freeze”

Brain freeze comes from the fight-or-flight response that every person experiences. Dr. Michael DeGeorgia of Case Western University Hospitals says, “If your brain starts to freeze up, you get more stressed, and the stress hormones go even higher. That shuts down the frontal lobe and disconnects it from the rest of the brain. It makes it even harder to retrieve those memories.” This feeling can make any situation feel daunting. 

 

The Evolutionary Fear of Rejection

The fear of isolation from a group is fundamentally involved with human evolution. National Social Anxiety Center states that “Living in a tribe was a basic survival skill. Rejection from the group led to death.” When paired with a lack of preparation, standing up to speak can feel like the end of the world. Then, when you go up to speak, and it feels like you can't remember anything, you are left standing speechless with what feels like a spotlight. 

 

This Doesn’t Mean You’re a Bad Speaker

These fears are nearly universal. When we experience these fears in tandem, it leaves people feeling helpless when they go up to present. This is not because the person is a bad speaker. Rather, it's a thought process that can be hard to challenge. The most important step in changing the way you speak is adjusting your mindset going in. 

 

Mindset: Flip the Script

Having a positive mindset can help take off some of the pressure. One strategy to achieve this is to visualize a successful speech and remind yourself of a time when your presentation went really well. It can be as easy as flipping the script. In ​​Rebecca Williams’ article “The Mindset of a Confident Speaker: How to Mentally Prepare for Your Next Presentation" published in 2024, she writes, “Nervousness is a negative story about how you’ll perform, while excitement is a positive one. Flip the script — focus on your enthusiasm.”

 

Body Language: Act Confident to Feel Confident

A way to change how you feel is to change how you present yourself. Speak confidently even if you don't always feel confident. A few key ways to exude confidence when speaking is by standing shoulder-width apart, with upright posture. Additionally, make eye contact with the audience you are speaking to. This will help your audience stay engaged. In a 2024 article for Harvard’s Professional and Executive Development blog,  Marjorie North writes, “Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.”  

 

Final Takeaway

Public speaking does not feel scary because we are weak or incapable. It feels scary because our brains are wired to protect us. Once we understand where the fear comes from, we can begin to control it. When we adjust our mindset and use confident body language, we can work with our biology instead of fighting against it. Next time you stand up to perform, remember: your fear is natural, but it does not have to define your performance.