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| Photo by Monica Silvestre from Pexels |
There are a lot statistics about the fear of public
speaking floating around on the internet. Most of the respective articles do
not link to some original research. What most of them claim is that fear of
public speaking or stage fright is the greatest fear among adults, even before
death, spiders, darkness or heights. Whether this is true or not, intuitively
or by observing others, we may find supporting evidence for that in that most
of us feel at least uneasy when asked to speak in front of a microphone or a
crowd.
If this were something that causes you significant
distress and even interferes with successfully adapting to your personal and
professional life, it would be a good idea to consult a professional
psychologist. There is a broad literature on social anxiety in general, and
about stage fright and the fear of public speaking in particular. Here, we will
scratch only the surface and come up with some practical insights.
Situations that trigger the fear of public speaking
While reading the following list, assess yourself how
you would feel and act in the following situations. How would the additional
information change your feelings and behavior?
·
You are stopped
on the street by a television team to give a short interview. They promise to
not mention your name./Your name will be displayed on the TV screen. They
represent a local TV station/a national or international broadcaster. You are
asked to comment on the weather / on government corruption.
·
You are invited
to ask a question during a university lecture. The lecturer is a local
professor / an internationally renowned scientist and winner of the Nobel
Prize. There are 10 / 50 / 500 students attending. You know all other fellow
students. / You do not know any of the other students.
·
Friends ask you
to give a speech at a family event. The event is a wedding ceremony / a funeral
with 10 / 1000 guests.
·
Your boss
requests that you appear in a TV commercial in which you are to represent your
company. You will appear as the only speaker. / You will appear alongside an
international movie star.
·
At a corporate
event, your colleagues suggest you go on stage for a small presentation. They
want you to make stand-up comedy / recite a poem / sing a song.
Most probably, you will have felt like avoiding some
of those situations.
Public speaking and foreign languages
Speaking publicly in foreign languages may be
perceived as more or as less stressful than in your native language. On the one
hand, you are less sure about how to speak correctly. While controlling your
words, you may neglect other important aspects like body language. On the other
hand, there are lower expectations to speak perfectly. As a native speaker every
mistake, however, will be attributed to you being nervous (or incompetent).
In the following, we will present techniques and
strategies how to overcome the fear of public speaking in foreign languages.
(to be continued)
The GO Method
“I have been living in
Germany for years. I have gone through all the levels and sustained the
necessary exams. Nonetheless, I still make too many mistakes as to get a
serious employment in my profession.”
It is easy to start a foreign language. It takes only
practice and living abroad to get fluent. To learn the last (!) 5% and to speak
without mistakes, however, you will need completely different approach.
The GO Method helps you get rid of your chronic grammar and
pronunciation mistakes by applying psychology and principles of quality
management.
We offer corrective courses for some languages, as well a
general system for improving your use of any language. We support companies in
improving the language proficiency of key employees.
Gerhard J. Ohrband
Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg /Germany (*1979).
Married, one son. MA in psychology from the University of Hamburg. More than 15
years of experience as a university lecturer in psychology as well as a
consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU and private companies.
Coordinator of the GO Method network, with representatives in more than 90
countries worldwide.
Contact
If you want to save time in learning a foreign language
without a teacher, please check out my book “The GO Method” on Amazon.
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