We Are Not Alone | Reframing | In Our Own Words
Though you may have felt that you are the only person suffering from speech anxiety, you are not. In fact, 74% of people report suffering from speech anxiety, according to a 2016 study by the Statistic Brain Research Institute.
Causes: The Fears Behind the Stress
Reported as the #1 fear of most Americans in a national survey, speech anxiety may be caused by a fear of:
- Being stared at
- The “Spotlight”
- Failure
- Making a “mistake”
- Rejection – person or speech not being “good enough”
- The unknown – “What if . . . ?”
Concerns: Top Five UT Student Fears
Students in previous Public Speaking classes here at UT have echoed that list and expounded upon it. Among their Top 5 Fears/Concerns were:
- Humiliation
- Losing control
- Hostile/Critical audience
- Forgetting speech/information/organization
- Looking/Acting nervous
Symptoms: Fight, Flight, and Nervous Energy
For many people, speech anxiety causes these normal and natural physical reactions:
- Rapid, increased breathing (sounding out of breath/winded)
- Blushing or the uncontrollable red flush that creeps from the neck to the forehead
- Dry mouth (feels like you are dehydrated)
- Excessive perspiration (sweaty palms)/feeling very hot
- Rapid, increased heartrate
- Trembling/shaking hands and feet/legs
- Stomach butterflies or feelings of nausea
- Dizziness, light-headedness
- Quivering voice and/or stuttering
- Fidgeting/distracting mannerisms
- Excessive nervous energy