COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

In fancy academic terms, Communication Apprehension (CA) refers to the very common fear of public speaking. It's so common, in fact, that more than one in five of us deal with some form of CA.

Just because CA is common doesn't mean we can't do anything about it. In this lesson, you'll learn all about what causes CA and how you can mentally reframe your past and current experiences with public speaking. We'll also offer some strategies for coping with nervous or anxious feelings associated with public speaking.

And while the safety of the free world likely won't hinge on the outcome of your next speech, the better you are at public speaking, the more influence you'll eventually have. We think that's a pretty momentous outcome.

SPEAKING DANGEROUSLY

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."

— Jerry Seinfeld, Seinlanguage

In his 1993 book, comedian Jerry Seinfeld jokes about the common phenomenon of Communication Apprehension (CA), that is, the fear of public speaking. Seinfeld's joke points out how futile CA can be: we all die, but it's usually just once, while chances are we'll have speak publicly lots of times throughout our lives.

Death is a one-stop-shop, but we get to practice our public speaking skills until we've perfected them.

Think about how you feel when you're about to head up to the front of the room to address a group—at work, church, a community event—anywhere you might be relaying information to people you don't know.

How do you feel? Does your pulse start to quicken? Perhaps your breathing becomes shallower, your mouth feels like cotton, and your hands are clammy. As you begin to speak, you feel like you're going way too fast, but you're too nervous to know what to do about it.

These are physiological responses to an emotional event. You know you're not in life-threatening danger, but your body can't tell the difference.

So what gives? What makes nearly one of five of us prefer our own funerals to speaking in public? And why does giving a speech sometimes feel like we're standing in front of the executioner?

Let's take a look at a few different theories about the causes of CA:

Trait-anxiety

We all know at least one shrinking violet (maybe the one in the mirror) who has never craved the spotlight and always avoids being the center of attention. Shyness can be a personality trait—a part of a person's character that can't be altered.

Some researchers believe a fear of public speaking is simply an extension of someone's personality. If a person is shy or introverted, they are more likely to avoid situations when they will have to share their ideas in front of an audience.

It's true that some people are more naturally outgoing or extroverted than others, but you can see how the trait-anxiety theory might describe a subset of all those experiencing CA.

State-anxiety

In contrast to the trait-anxiety theory of CA, other researchers contend that CA is a state-anxiety, meaning the anxiety isn't necessarily about the speech or presentation itself, but the potential for public embarrassment.

If we've ever had a bad experience with public speaking, the embarrassing memory of the forgetting our next point, running out of breath, or saying the wrong thing may continue to wreck havoc on our public speaking lives for years after the original event.

Scrutiny Fear

Ever feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand when you feel like you're being watched, only to turn around to see it was just a shadow? Some public speaking experts say that CA is a byproduct of our discomfort with being judged and evaluated.

Someone who deals with both the trait and state forms of CA really feels the fear of scrutiny before a public speaking event. This fear, however irrational or unfounded, can make speaking painful and sometimes even humiliating.

A Last-Minute Pardon

If you experience CA, whether as a trait-anxiety, state anxiety, or fear of scrutiny, there's hope. By rejiggering our brains to see public speaking in a new way, we can develop the skills, tools, and confidence to successfully present our ideas to an audience. Hop over to our next reading to learn about how cognitive restructuring can help you cope with CA.

COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING

Perhaps you've heard of the phenomenon psychologists call "confirmation bias"—it describes our human habit of accepting evidence and data that only serves to confirm our existing beliefs. So, if you bit into one bad raisin as a kid, you might develop a lifelong aversion to the dried, wrinkly fruit. You've even been known to throw out a cookie after determining the sweet brown clumps weren't chocolate chips.

Frame of Reference

One bad experience with public speaking can have the same effect as one bad raisin, creating a self-defeating frame of reference—a mindset based on assumptions derived from past experience—that can actually influence the result of present events.

While many of our attitudes regarding public speaking are rooted in rituals, habits, and past experiences, our brains have the remarkable ability to rewire. Just like you can create shortcuts to documents and files on your laptop, you can restructure your neural connections to develop new frames of reference about speaking in public.

Unlike rewiring the electrical system in your kitchen (a task usually reserved for expert electricians), you can't turn off the power to your brain while you mess with the wires. Brain restructuring can be imprecise and takes practice, but there are three basic steps:

1. Identify thoughts and beliefs

2. Locate inconsistencies or faulty logic

3. Replace original thought

Take Jack, for example. He's feeling nervous for his job interview next week, which will be in front of a panel of managers and experts in his field. He knows he's uniquely qualified to fill the position, but he dreads facing the panel because he's worried they may judge him harshly despite his education and accomplishments.

Jack knows he's got to turn his thinking around before the interview, so he opens a Word document and starts writing his way out of his self-defeating frame of reference.

Here's what it looks like:

1. I'm nervous about next week's panel interview. I'm afraid they'll try to poke holes in my logic like my graduate advisor during my thesis defense. I'll feel like I'm on the spot, my tongue will get tied, and I'll lose my train of thought.

2. It's illogical to assume that just because my thesis defense was rocky, this interview will also be difficult. The panel may ask me to clarify my logic because they want to make sure they find the right person for the job, not to bring me down a notch. They are interviewing me because I've distinguished myself in my field.

3. I'm still nervous for the panel interview, but this is an opportunity to show my intelligence and clarify my beliefs.

No doubt Jack killed it in the interview and got the job thanks to this cognitive restructuring.

Go ahead and practice. Think of an upcoming opportunity you'll have to speak in public. How will you restructure your frame of reference around the event?

Confidence-building Strategies

Cognitive restructuring is just one tool you can use to turn a public speaking disaster into a win. We've also got some tried-and-true techniques that'll help you succeed at any speaking task that comes your way.

• Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Visualization might sound a bit new-agey, but research shows that mentally completing a task can translate into success in the real world. Imagine what success would like for you. Would it mean stopping and pausing after making an important point? Being able to field questions from the audience?

Then, imagine what your body might feel like as you give a successful speech. How does your breathing feel? What expression is on your face? Pay attention to how your body would feel under optimal conditions. The more you visualize success and connect it with a sense of calm in your body, the more likely this technique is to work.

• Breathe Easy

Speaking of the mind-body connection, paying attention to your breathing as you practice visualization can have a significant impact on the success of your presentation. When you focus on breath, you're relaxing your body and ridding your mind of distractions so you can focus on the task at hand.

For a rule of thumb, inhale as you count to five, hold for five, and then release for five. You'll feel your body relax in no time.

• Know What You're Talking About

You don't need to memorize your speech line for line (in fact, rote memorization can often sound inauthentic to an audience), but you should definitely practice your speech early…and often.

Now, watch this TED Talk "The Power of Introverts," in which writer and introvert Susan Cain describes rehearsing her speech for an entire year before stepping on the TED stage.

Cain's compelling topic, coupled with her polished and authentic speaking style, made her speech one of the most successful TED Talks of all time.

• Ad-Lib

Sure, you want to know your presentation inside and out. But you don't want to leave your audience with the impression that they've just been listening to a robot, or that your expertise on the subject has been completely exhausted by a five-minute speech.

You'll need to be conversant about your subject, so the more you practice your speech, the more comfortable you'll feel ad-libbing, going off-script, and fielding questions from the audience.

• Verbal Practice

In order to become conversant, you'll need to practice out loud—a lot. Like Susan Cain, this could be your "Year of Speaking Dangerously," but only if you practice under ideal conditions first.

It's All in Your Head

Now that we've identified the causes of Communication Apprehension and offered some tips on how to deal with it, we want you to check out this short clip from The King's Speech with Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist Lionel Logue.

As you're watching, see if you can answer the following questions:

• Is King George's speech impediment a state-anxiety, trait-anxiety, or fear of scrutiny?

• What is King George's frame of reference around public speaking? How do you think he developed this mindset?

• If you were King George's speech therapist, what methods might you suggest he use to conquer his fear of public speaking?

The rest of this unit is bursting with approaches to public speaking and tips for success behind the podium. Consider this course your personal Lionel Logue.