Public Speaking Anxiety

by Ngoc Pham
(Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam)

Q: 1. What is public speaking anxiety?

2. How do we know that we have public speaking anxiety?
3. May we apply cognitive behavior therapy to conquer the fear of public speaking? If yes, why and how? please answer in details

I'm looking forward to your answer
Ngoc Pham

A: You ask rather complicated questions, each of which could take at least one week on instruction in a university class! In brief, public speaking anxiety is a natural fear we have of standing up in front of a group of people to present our ideas or other information. It is a natural response that most everybody has at one time or another. How do we know we have it? How do you feel when you stand up to speak? Some people are so affected that even the thought of speaking in public is crippling. Cognitive behavior therapy is a widely accepted method of adapting people to various situations. It is successfully used to overcome various fears, such as agoraphobia or fear of a particular animal, and can even help decrease the desire to drink or smoke. With minor fears, a person can simply purchase a book and follow the exercises, but for more serious cases, a trained therapist is essential to guide you through the steps.

Hope this helps.