A person goes up to the podium to do a presentation.

Even before he starts speaking his

heart starts to beat and his mouth gets dry. He feels slightly nauseous. Once the person

starts talking, the heart keeps beating rapidly and the person hears his voice tremble. The

whole body starts shaking. He keeps on stammering and stuttering and prays to God for a

quick end to his presentation.

This is actually a common scenario we see everyday whenever people have to speak

before others. By understanding the common scenario, I propose to inspect on

glossophobia (fear of public speaking). Glossophobia, the fear of speaking in public is

rated as only second to the fear of snakes and before the fear of dying. Symptoms include

intense anxiety prior to or simply at the thought of having to verbally communicate with

any group, avoidance of events which focus the group's attention on individuals in

attendance, and may even include physical distress, nausea, or feelings of panic in such

circumstances. You may also have shortness of breath, a shaky voice, rapid breathing,

rapid heartbeat, dizziness, dry mouth, inability to think clearly, a feeling of loss of

control, blushing, stuttering, trembling and sudden sweating. Many people report stress-

induced speech disorders that are only present during public speech.

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In business, the cost is incalculable. Imagine missed business opportunities, being passed

over for promotion, being reluctant to attend meetings or verbally report on your

activities because you suffer from glossophobia.

The primary purpose of the report is to find the factors which instigate the fear towards

public speaking which is also known as glossophobia, its symptoms, awareness

amongst people and most importantly to identify methods and techniques which would

allow a person to reduce that fear and excel in public speaking. Therefore, I believe that

my research paper on glossophobia will give the clear perception and the methods to

reduce the phobia will give inspiration to people that they can go up to the podium

confidently to do a presentation.

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Historical documents indicate that public speaking was an activity and object of study in

the ancient Grecian city-states and the Roman Empire. However, public speaking has

probably been a part of all civilizations since very early times, maybe even as old as

almost speech itself. The first textbook on the subject was written over 2400 years ago,

and the principles elaborated within it were drawn from the practices and experience of

orators in ancient Greece. These basic principles have undergone modification as

societies and cultures have changed, yet remained surprisingly uniform.

So it will be correct to assume that the fear of public speaking (also known as

glossophobia existed since the beginning of public speaking). It is believed to be the

single most common phobia even above death affecting as much as 75% of all

people. We can see that this is no new problem. There have been hundreds of studies on

this topic and there are organizations, such as Toastmasters International and International

Training in Communication, which provide training and courses in public speaking to

help to reduce the fear. Unfortunately, no such professional institutes are present in

Bangladesh and a great deal needs to be done in this regard.

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I have looked in the following areas of research to investigate the Fear of Public

Speaking. I was concentrating upon the following research areas:

Awareness of Glossophobia

In this section, I have tried to identify whether people are aware of the term

glossophobia and whether people give it enough importance.

Symptoms of Glossophobia

This section deals with the symptoms of glossophobia. These symptoms helped me to

identify whether a person has glossophobia or not.

The percentage of the victims of Glossophobia

This section deals with the percentage of the victims of glossophobia. To find it out I

have done a survey.

Methods to reduce Glossophobia

This is the final section, which deals with ways and methods of reducing this fear of

public speaking.

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My research paper is based on an interesting topic glossophobia, the fear of public

speaking. To public glossophobia is rated as only second to the fear of snakes and

before the fear of dying. Therefore, I have grown up a hypothesis for my research paper

that is most of the people in the world is a victim of Glossophobia in some extent to

others. How do we know whether we are affected by glossophobia? There are three main

symptoms -Trying to avoid public speaking, anxiety before and during public speaking,

feeling of nausea while speaking in public. If any of these are in one that indicates the

person are indeed affected by the phobia.

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 [

To gather data for our research we have relied on primary as well as secondary research.

For primary data collection, I have surveyed on an about 25 university students by

distributing questionnaires. The target group of my questionnaire was university students.

For diversity in respond, I had to go to different universities to completion of my survey.

Students of AIUB and students of NSU both were contributed in the fill up of the

questionnaire. These students have been selected randomly without any particular order. I

made my questionnaire based on the public speaking of university students, which they

have to do in their required courses. Since my target group was university students, the

questionnaires were prepared to, best address their views and opinions. The data was very

successful which came out by conducting the survey. This survey helped me to gather a

wide range of views regarding the subject matter and allowed me to identify a trend and

analyze it.

As the sample size for primary investigation has been small, I had to put a lot of emphasis

on my secondary research. For secondary data, I have also taken help from a large

number of internet sources. Most of these are websites, encyclopedias or forums related

to public speaking like www.wikipedia.org (other sources provided in the work site

section). I also took help from the book titled Basic Business Communication.

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2 . T A B U L A R R E P R E S E N T AT I O N O F D A TA C O L L E C T E D
THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES ON GLOSSOPHOBIA

Options/ (a) (b) (c) (d)

Question
number
Q.1
(number of None 1-2 2-3 4+
presentations
done)
0 2 2 6
respondents respondents respondents respondents
(0%) (20%) (20%) (60%)
Q.2
(Avoidance of Yes Sometimes Not at all
public
speaking)
3 4 3
respondents respondents respondents
(30%) (40%) (30%)

Q.3
(Feeling of High Medium None
Nausea while
speaking in 3 3 4
public) respondents respondents respondents
(30%) (30%) (40%)

Q.4
(Anxiety Yes A bit No
before public
speaking) 7 1 2
respondents respondents respondents
(70%) (10%) (20%)

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 Q.5
(Thinking Feel faint Forget Voice up- Finish
before starting speech in down successfully
the speech) middle

1 3.5 4 1.5
respondents respondents respondents respondents
(10%) (35%) (40%) (15%)
Q.6 For looking Lack of High per For
(The way you foolish preparation tense confidence
do)

1 3.5 4 1.5
Respondents Respondents Respondents Respondents
(10%) (35%) (40%) (15%)
Q.7 Yes Not Exactly No
(Are you 1 1 8
aware of the respondents respondents respondents
term (10%) (10%) (80%)
glossophobia
?
Q.8 Fear of Bad language Lack of
(Main cause of looking skills Preparation
glossophobia foolish
) 5 1 4
respondents respondents respondents
(50%) (10%) (40%)

Q.9 None 1-2 3-4 4+

(Close friends
having
glossophobia 2 5 3 0
) respondents respondents respondents respondents
(20%) (50%) (30%) (0%)

Q.10 Yes May be No

(Can
glossophobia 7 2 1
be reduced?) respondents respondents respondents
(70%) (20%) (10%)

Q.11 Practice Preparation Mental Optimism

(Best options Strength
to solve 3 3 2 2
glossophobia respondents respondents respondents respondents
?) (30%) (30%) (20%) (20%)

Page 8 of 24
 Q.12 Yes No
(Institutes to
1 9
reduce fear in
respondents respondents
Bangladesh)
(10%) (90%)

The target group of the data tabulation was 25 university students. In addition, responds

was showed in percentage.

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Are you aware of the term glossophobia?

80

100
Yes Not exactly No
10
No
50
10
Not exactly

Yes
0
Data in %

Page 10 of 24
The figure shows that, only 10% people surveyed are aware of the term. Another 10%

knows that such a term exists. However, the majority that is 80% do not know the term at

all.

Even though people do know that they fear public speaking and are well acquainted with

it, most of the respondents do not know the fact that glossophobia is the fear of

speaking in public.

How many people are victims of the Glossophobia?

(Summarized question of question # 2, 3 & 4)

100%
30 40
90%
80%
70%
40
60%
30
50%
none a bit Yes
40%
70
30%
20%
30 30
10%
0%
tendency of avoiding nausea prior anxity

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From the figure, we can see that 30% respondents tend to avoid public speaking, while

30% do not. Another 40% avoid public speaking on certain occasions. 30% respondents

have high level of nausea while public speaking. Another 30% have medium levels while

40% have no nausea at all. A staggering 70% replies said that they have anxiety before

speaking in public. 20% have no anxiety at all while only 10% have small levels of

anxiety. In all average 70% people are victims of the Glossophobia.

From the data, we see mixed results. However, one thing that can be deduced is that

people do have anxiety. They also try to avoid public speaking or experience feelings of

nausea. This does not necessary mean that everybody experiences all of the mentioned

symptoms. However, it would be unlikely to find a person who does not exhibit any of

these three symptoms. However, majority has at least one of the symptoms, which

indicates that most of the people are victims of Gossophobia

What do you think is the main cause of glossophobia?

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 40
50
fear of looking foolish bad language skill lack of preparation
10

The figure shows that, 50% people believe that the fear of looking foolish is the main

cause. Only 10% blame bad language skills while 40% said that lack of preparation is the

main cause.

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Even though language skills are important while presenting they do not usually give rise

to the fear of public speaking. Judging from the data collected, it seems like fear of

looking foolish in front of others and lack of preparation are equally responsible for

glossophobia.

Which of these can help to solve glossophobia?

35
30
25
20
15
10
data in %
5
0

Page 14 of 24
The figure shows that, both practice and preparation received 30% votes. Mental strength

and optimism received 20% each.

Even though language skills are important while presenting they do not usually give rise

to the fear of public speaking. Judging from the data collected, it seems like fear of

looking foolish in front of others and lack of preparation are equally responsible for

glossophobia.

Do you think Bangladesh has any professional institutes that can help reduce such fear?

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 100
80
Yes No
60
40 No
20
0 Yes
Data in %

The majority agrees to the fact that, there are no professional institutes that can help to

reduce glossophobia in Bangladesh. Only 10% think that such institutions exist.

The results of this question have very important significance. As we can see, almost none

of the respondents have heard of any professional institutions to reduce glossophobia in

Bangladesh. This means that any attempt to reduce the fear of public speaking has to

come from within.

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I have faced a surprisingly large number of problems while working on this paper. Some

of these problems had minimal impact on the report while others caused big problems.

They have been listed below.

I had a very small sample size for our primary investigation. The problem with

less number of surveyed people is that it is very difficult to identify a trend and

concluded with it. Therefore, there was more reliance on secondary data.

The report is aimed at only the students of University and the tips and methods

given are not suitable for everybody since these are very basic ideas. The report

does not go in detail of the problem.

The conclusions derived do not take into account factors such as age, sex,

personality etc.

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In summary the conclusions that we have reached from our primary investigation are

Most people experience glossophobia to some extent or the other. For example,

a person may not be nervous in front of hundred people, but may still get nervous

while speaking in front of a thousand people. According to my survey result, 70 %

people are victims of glossophobia. Therefore, I can conclude with that my

hypothesis- most of the people in the world is a victim of Glossophobia in some

extent to others is correct.

The majority of people are not aware of fact that the fear of public speaking is

also known as glossophobia.

Glossophobia is caused mainly due to the fear of looking foolish in front of others

and lack of preparation before public speaking.

Practice, preparation, mental strength and optimism are all almost equally

important while trying to reduce glossophobia.

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 Bangladesh lacks in professional institutes that can help reduce glossophobia.

Using the analysis of the questionnaires together with secondary data, we have identified

many techniques that can us to use to overcome the fear of making a mistake or looking

foolish when you speak to a group. They are provided below. Note that these have been

written in second person.

i. Be Well Prepared
One of the best ways to make sure you do not make foolish mistakes is to be well

prepared before you speak to a group. You should know what are going to talk about,

whom you will speak to, and under what conditions you will speak.

Leave nothing to chance:

A professional in any field does not leave anything to chance before a big game,

important performance, or critical presentation to corporate executives. Strategies are laid

out, all material is ready, contingency plans are made, and every detail is taken care of.

When you are well prepared, chances of failure or goof-ups are greatly reduced. You feel

more relaxed and sure of yourself, because you have all the bases covered.

Your material:

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You need to know exactly what you are going to talk about. This does not mean to

memorize exactly what you plan to say. Rather, it is to have a good outline of facts and

information that you can talk about.

Know audience:

It is good to be aware of what type of audience you will be speaking before. This will

give you an idea of the subject matter and tone of your speech. If you are speaking before

some important people or at an important event, that fact may increase your anxiety. But

it is good to know up front, so that you can properly prepare for the occasion.

Check Conditions:

It is good to check over the conditions under which you will speak. If you can, go up to

the lectern to check things over and get a feel for things. If you will use a microphone,

check it out. In some situations, a person may simply make a presentation in a meeting

room at work. Even then, it is a good idea to check out the room beforehand and try to

visualize how you will be doing things. Note that going through this process will actually

relax you and give you more confidence when it is your turn to speak.

ii. Practice
You should practice your speech many times before you give it. Even if you know your

material very well, practice is extremely important. The more you give a talk, the more

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automatic it becomes, the more meat it can have, and the more confidence you have in

your abilities to give the speech.

Practice alone:

Ways to practice alone are first simply say the speech loudly. This is good to get the

material more ingrained in your memory.

Use a mirror:

Then say the speech, looking into a mirror. This is good to do, because you must

concentrate more. You also get an idea of how you look when speaking. Finally, if you

must refer to notes, it allows you to practice eye contact with the audience.

Stand in the corner:

An interesting trick is to say your speech while standing in the corner. The sound reflects

back to you, and you can get a good idea how you sound when you speak.

Record your practice:

Another way to practice is using a tape recorder. This forces you to avoid pausing to try

to remember things. It also allows you to play the speech back to study how you sound,

your phrasing, and the content of the material.

Use a friendly audience:

Practice before friends. This is a very important way to practice, because it is getting

closer to the "real world" of speaking to a group. Even an audience of one person is good

for this type of practice.

iii. Have a backup

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It is worthwhile to bring along a "security blanket" or "safety net" in case something goes

wrong in your presentation. The main thing to worry about is forgetting what you were

going to say next. This can happen even if you've done extensive practicing of the

speech.

Outline:

It is good to have your speech outlined on a few sheets of paper or on 3 X 5 cards. You

can then refer to them in case you have a mental lapse. Referring to your notes is

certainly acceptable to an audience, as long as you are not reading a speech word-for-

word from a script. One thing that having a safety net provides is that it reduces you

anxiety about forgetting what you were going to say or having your mind go blank. You

may never even use the cards, but the fact that you have them--just in case--can greatly

reduce the butterflies.

iv. Mental Approach

The more important the audience or the occasion, the greater your fear can be. You don't

want to look like a fool in front of the bosses at work, your peers, or even your friends

and relatives.

Not that important:

One method to overcome this fear is to visualize the people as not very important. An old

trick is to imagine that the audience is naked. Alternatively, perhaps imagine them all in

clown outfits. A ridiculous image will make them seem not very important.

Use positive approach:

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The problem with that method is that it seems somewhat negative. If you look down at

your audience, it may be reflected in your speech. I prefer a more positive approach. You
[

have to realize that the audience is usually on your side. They want to hear what you have

to say and to see you do well. Before you give your speech, think of them as caring,

friendly people who want to hear you speak. It is just like talking to your friends.

The positive image should relax you and put you in a good frame of mind. The audience

will also read your body language and respond accordingly.

v. Relaxing before speaking

When you are introduced to speak, take three breaths to settle you down before you get

out of your chair. Then when you go up to the lectern, thank the person who introduced

you and then count to 10 before you start speaking.

This will allow the audience to get settled and ready to hear you. It also is a way that you

are showing that you are now in control.

It is not easy to do, because you have to look at the audience and panic may settle in.

However, if you have made all the preparations, you can be sure of yourself and deserve

to be in control of the situation. It is a good feeling.

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