Chapter 2: Building Confidence

2.1 What is Communication Apprehension?

  • Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking, also known as PSA or public speaking anxiety

  • approx 1/4th of people have his fear

  • effective public speaking is not just what you say, but also how you say it

2.2 Classifying PSA

  • Forms of PSA

    • Trait anxiety: people who describe themselves as shy and avoid public interaction. this makes them more likely to view any public speaking with hesitation

    • State anxiety: had a negative with public speaking in the past

    • scrutiny fear: fear of being watched or observed

  • Cognitive Restructuring

    • both state anxiety and scrutiny fear can be addressed through cognitive restructuring (CR) and thoughtful, deliberate experience.

    1. Identify objectively what you think

    2. Identify any inconsistencies between perception and reality

    3. Replace destructive thinking with supportive thinking

  • Sources of Apprehension with scrutiny fear

    • Center of Attention: “everyone is staring at me” into to “the audience is looking at me to be supportive and polite—after all, I’m the one doing the talking.”

    • Fear of Judgement: you don’t have expectation that a speaker you watch will be perfect, so you shouldn’t worry about being perfect either

2.3 Learning Confidence

  • Visualize success

  • Avoid gimmicks (don’t imagine them in their underwear, do practice in a mirror)

  • Breathe and release

    • Imagine the nervousness within your body.

    • Imagine the energy bubbling inside you, like boiling water.

    • Draw that energy to a high point within your body through a deep, cleansing breath.

    • Imagine this cleansing breath like a vacuum, inhaling all of the bubbling liquid.

    • Release the energy by deliberately relaxing your upper body, all the way from your fingertips to your shoulder blades.

    • Imagine how keeping any part of your upper extremities tense would result in a “kink” in the release valve, and so complete relaxation is the key to success.

  • Minimize what you memorize (A well-prepared speaker is conversant regarding their topic.)

  • Practice out loud

    • During your initial practice, consider these questions:

      • Where, during your presentation, are you most—and least—conversant?

      • Where, during your presentation, are you most in need of supportive notes?

      • What do your notes need to contain?

  • Customize your practice to you