Chesnut 1

Alexis Chesnut
Professor Coco
English 1001
13 November 2016
Preface: If given two more weeks or so to improve my inquiry paper, I would definitely
do a little more research than presented here. I was really happy with the the tone used in
this final draft because it was informal, which was fitting for my audience. I would
probably go more in depth about why I still havent gotten completely over my fear, and
maybe even go out on a limb and test myself to see if I could do a trial run of a few
speeches in public as well. Writing an inquiry paper has taught me that I much rather
prefer writing my own opinion, rather than stating others and citing them. I like to speak
my own mind and elaborate on how I feel because it makes the reader feel more like they
are talking to the writer, not having the writer talk at them, simply stating facts.
Audience: People who have a fear of public speaking.
There are a couple of different generic answers people have when you ask them
what their deepest fear is. Some of these go-to answers include: heights, snakes, clowns,
needles, and rejection. Public speaking can easily be placed within these as one of
peoples biggest fears. In order to understand the fear of public speaking, one will have to
know the definition. The definition of public speaking anxiety, found in a study by
University of Wisconsin is as follows: Public speaking anxiety, often referred to as
speech anxiety or stage fright, involves a central fear of being scrutinized or evaluated by
others (Public Speaking 1). The sister to fear is anxiety. It is also one major factor
that contributes to why people have a problem talking in front of crowds.
Usually when someone has trouble with public speaking, they do not have a
problem talking in front of their friends or family. A person is normally comfortable in an
environment that is part of his or her everyday life, but when public speaking comes into
the picture, that person feels more vulnerable in front of a big crowd, unlike the normal

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everyday socializing they do. Another issue with public speaking is if that person is
knowledgeable and passionate about the subject they are presenting.
A lack of confidence goes hand in hand with the problem of anxiety. If one does
not have confidence, it could be challenging to present a speech in front of a crowd. This
fear of public speaking that is rooted in anxiety and embarrassment can be cured through
persistent practice and having a deep knowledge of the topic being presented.
It is so easy to be in an audience, but when you are the one standing in front of an
audience, it becomes an entirely different situation. To find a solution for this particular
situation, you can look into the reasons why it is so frightening to talk in front of a crowd.
Vulnerability is a major factor that contributes to the fear that comes with public
speaking. When you are vulnerable, you can easily become embarrassed and nervous. If
you are confident, you will have little to no trouble with public speaking. In the Mel
Slaters article, An Experimental Study on Fear of Public Speaking Using a Virtual
Environment, studies on the fear of public speaking show, the people with phobia
showed a significant increase in signs of anxiety when speaking to the virtual audience
compared to the empty room, whereas the confident people did not (Slater 627). When
you are talking in front of a group of people, the feeling of being alone is almost
inescapable. Everyones attention is on you as the speaker, which puts a great deal of
pressure to perform well. Getting nervous follows shortly after. Then, you can hear it in
your voice as it cracks and you stumble on your words.
Something that everyone always says helps with stage fright is to picture
everyone in their underwear. This does not necessarily help the person very much. The

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one dealing with the fear is most likely too into their own head to even think about that
distraction.
To dissect further on the fear that comes with public speaking, one can look at
what is going through the mind of the person actually doing the public speaking. From
my experience, I would mainly get nervous about messing up on my presentation, which
can be linked to my fear of rejection. When someone has confidence, they normally are
not concerned with what others think of them. When someone has little confidence, it is
harder to focus on what the reality of the situation truly is, which in the bigger picture, is
just a bunch of random people hearing someone else talk for a few minutes. The problem
that I often come across when presenting a speech is keeping eye contact with the
audience. I start to overthink what their opinion on how well I am presenting my speech.
Once that happens, I start to forget what I am saying and start to stutter, which is what
mainly makes me nervous in the first place. I become so nervous about what my audience
is thinking that I forget what I need to say, which is what I wanted to avoid from the
beginning. I concentrate on not messing up, which distracts me from my speaking, which
ultimately leads to me messing up. I also get butterflies in my stomach, and I feel
ridiculous. All of the things that go through my mind and body are all associated with
fears and anxiety
The fear of public speaking is so common that it can even be found in famous
songs. One example is the famous song by artist Marshall Mathers, also known as
Eminem, Lose Yourself with its lyrics, His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are
heavy. There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti. He's nervous (Mathers).
This goes to show that even celebrities are affected by anxiety caused by public speaking.

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He offers great imagery on how an individual is feeling prior to getting on stage or stand
up in front of everyone.

One perspective on the fear of public speaking is my best friend Allison Stephens. I sat
down with her and this is what she offered me to add to my Inquiry paper.

I accidentally got into a communications duel enrollment course my last year in

high school. When I realized I had to present multiple speeches in front of an audience
and a camera I freaked out. I would dread the day of the presentation so much that it was
the only thing I could think about. Finally on my last speech I was able to successfully
present the speech without becoming overwhelmed or terrified by it. The way I overcame
my fear for public speaking is really simple. I realized that my speech was way more
important to me rather than my audience. To them it is just another speaker. The audience
will not think twice about the speech in a couple of days. I realized that even if my
audience would really focus on possible mistakes that they will notice then most likely
forget about it.
I figure that I should not care to worry about messing up a speech in front of an
audience because their negative thoughts should not get in the way of a well prepared for
presentation. The presentation or speech should be mainly because I want to do well, not
try to impress the audience. Although a speech is for an audience, it helps with anxiety to
know that it really is not the end of the world if my audience has negative feedback or
thoughts while I give the speech. Now I can talk in front of anyone and about anything
without anxiety or fear.

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If you can overcome anxiety and vulnerability, speaking in front of large crowds
would become simple. Not only do confident individuals have no trouble talking in front
of friends and family, but they also have no problem talking in front of a crowd. If a
person is vulnerable, that might be because they over think about all the possible
embarrassing things that could happen, or the thoughts of the audience that they are
presenting to. Through practice and determination, one can overcome public speaking
anxiety. Hall-Flavin introduces steps to help overcome the fear which include: Know
your topic, Get organized, Practice, Visualize your success, Focus on your material, not
on your audience, Don't be afraid of a moment of silence, and Recognize your success
(Hall-Flaven). With those steps, talking in front of crowds may be easier. Silence, for one,
is a factor that can make a person nervous. I cannot be in a car without music because the
silence is uncomfortable. All efforts in helping with the fear of public speaking show that
the issue is known.
Studies show that people with a social anxiety disorder often have problems with
public speaking. According to Weaver in her article, Social Anxiety Can Be a Hidden
Problem in College, some ways in helping someone with anxiety can be found with
positive self-talk, in which you reassure yourself that its OK to talk or say hello, can be
helpful with milder forms; and repeated exposure, which leads to decreased anxiety
(Weaver par. 11). In order to help this issue, programs and studies are made. In Tillfors
article, he exemplifies this study suggests that Internet-based CBT is effective both in
the short- and long-term for university students with social phobia and public speaking
fears (Tillfors 708). With all the treatment and tips on how to overcome your fear of

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public speaking, there are unlimited chances to do so. Anxiety is something that cannot
be cured very easily, however public speaking can be conquered with determination.
Having a fear in public speaking is a struggle for many; it ties perfectly with
anxiety, nervousness and fear of rejection. One factor that goes with fear of public
speaking is vulnerability. When someone lacks confidence, it is harder for that person to
speak in front of an audience. This fear is so common that it can even be found in social
media. With all the people who have this fear, there are available treatments and solutions
in overcoming it. Realizing you have the problem is one step closer into fixing it. With
practice and drive, you can face the fear This fear of public speaking that is rooted in
anxiety and embarrassment can be cured through persistent practice and having a deep
knowledge of the topic being presented by allowing you to be put in a public speaking
situation more often than normal.

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Works Cited
Hall-Flavin, Daniel K., M. D. "Fear of Public Speaking: How Can I Overcome It? - Mayo
Clinic." Fear of Public Speaking: How Can I Overcome It? N.p., n.d. Web. 10
Nov. 2016.

PL, Anderson "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Public-speaking Anxiety Using

Virtual Reality for Exposure." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Hofmann, Stefan G. "Treatment of Social Phobia: Potential Mediators and Moderators."

Clinical Psychology: A Publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the
American Psychological Association. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Mar.
2000. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

B, Stein M. "Public-speaking Fears in a Community Sample. Prevalence, Impact on

Functioning, and Diagnostic Classification." National Center for Biotechnology
Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 1996. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Weaver, Rheyanne. "Social Anxiety Can Be a Hidden Problem in College."

GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. EmpowHER, 18 July 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University." Public
Speaking Anxiety.

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