According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 73% of the population experiences glossophobia—the fear of speaking to a large crowd. This is much more severe than stage fright. Inexperienced public speakers are apprehensive about the collective evaluation of their performance by a public jury.

To them, the speech they deliver reflects their oratory skills and intellect. They don’t want to be shunned by their audience for making invalid arguments, failing to speak convincingly, or substantiating their arguments with substantial evidence.

This fear insidiously creeps into their minds in the form of anxiety and deters them from their purpose. The fear of judgment becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it renders them incoherent and incapable of performing to the best of their abilities. Ultimately they might be unimpressive on stage and never give it a shot again.

What Glossophobia Looks Like

• There are too many eyes on me!
• What if I need to cough or sneeze in the middle of my speech?
• What if I lose my train of thought?
• What if I make a silly error?
• What if I’m not convincing enough?
• What if they all laugh and boo me?

These are some common thoughts that cross your mind when you’re gripped by anxiety before delivering a speech. Such questions are often trivialized as nervousness or shyness, but they can exacerbate into a severe lack of confidence.

TED Speakers And Their Struggles

Mark Twain once said, “There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.” This quote sums up the struggle that every public speaker goes through. Even the most remarkable minds have faltered when they had to shape their ideas into the spoken word.

It’s important to recognize this struggle and trace any signs of glossophobia early on. Many TED presenters have shared their examples to help those struggling. Daniel Hardman is a notable example who showed us the “funny side to fear.” He’s a flourishing stand-up comedian and neuroscience scholar now, but in his early days, he too struggled with anxiety.

His example shows us that it’s possible to combat anxiety with humor. Giving your stutters a comic turn allows you to reevaluate your fears and gives you time to collect your thoughts while the audience roars with laughter.

Joe Kowan is another example who had a hard time connecting with his audience. He’s a musician who was gripped by anxiety and had to choose between fight or flight. But instead of running away or putting up a brave act, he wove his fear into his speech. He let the audience in on his anxiety and feel the tension.

This instantly got him an empathetic response, and he no longer felt alienated by the hundreds of eyes watching or spotlights shining at him. He converted the excessive nervousness into excitement and used fear to fuel his performance.

Find Your Way To Recovery

Even though these great speakers used their condition as assets, not everybody can. Glossophobia works differently in everyone, and one can only speak for themselves and their own experiences. As for you, your recovery is a process that’s unique to you. You can only glean the suggestions that you resonate with and try them. Here are some popular ones:

1. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
2. Learn about your audience
3. Take pauses to refocus
4. Make eye contact
5. Be honest when you make a mistake

These suggestions might work―but the secret ingredient to success is motivation. The motivation to get over this condition has to come from within. But sometimes it’s hard to find strength when you’re so conflicted. That’s why you need a hypnotist to work with you.

Rekha Shrivastava is a certified hypnotist and rehabilitation counselor at Blossom Hypnosis, specializing in subconscious mind healing techniques.

She can help public speakers with depression, ADHD, and anxiety cope with this condition by reaching into their subconscious mind and addressing their inner conflicts.

Not ready to book an appointment? Learn how self-hypnosis can help you recover from PTSD and depression.