Overcoming Glossophobia

Kevin M. Brett

J454

May 13, 2013

One of the World’s Most Prevalent “Phobias”

Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. The word glossophobia comes from the Greek γλῶσσα glōssa, meaning tongue, and φόβος phobos, fear or dread

Overcoming Glossophobia

1. Knowledge

2. Practice

3. Conversation, not Reading

4. Movement

5. Friendly Faces

Slow Down

• Only One Opportunity to Deliver Message• Good Way to Overcome Nerves• You Are Your Own Worst Critic• Avoid: “You Know” “Stuff” “Like” and “You Guys”• Use Your Time Effectively

“PR Agency” Disease

• The client has committed 80 minutes for a presentation.

• The agency responds with a 64-graphic PowerPoint deck.

• Why does this approach not work?

Combatting PR Agency Disease

1. Research on Your Audience (Friendly, Hostile, Mixed, Educated, Not Educated, Domestic, Foreign)

2. Put Yourself in the Audience’s Shoes

3. When Possible Employ the “10-20-30” Rule

-- 10 graphics

-- 20 minutes

-- 30-point font

Have the Audience Demanding More

• Rod Stewart; 90 minutes

• Rolling Stones; Two Hours

• The Who; Two Hours

• Led Zeppelin; Four Hours

What Can the Audience Reasonably Absorb?

• Presenters Transmittal Performance• Receptivity of the Audience• After 15 Minutes; 10 percent showing signs of

inattention• After 35 Minutes; Everyone is Inattentive

Get Away from the Podium

• Class is Now in Session• Conversation, Not a Speech• Lavaliere Microphone• Floor Monitor• Don’t Read Everything on Slides• Move, But Don’t Overly Wander• Invite Two-Way Symmetrical

Whatever You Do: Don’t Read

• PowerPoint or Prezi is Your Friend• Use Graphics as Prompts• Conversations are More Effective• Note Cards, If You Must• Reading is So Yesterday

Don’t Forget

• Advocacy: Serving the public interest by acting as responsible advocates…

• Honesty: Adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and truth…

Use Takeaways

• What’s The Headline?• Become a Thought Leader• Prepare; Practice• Use PowerPoint; Prezi• Conversation; Not a Speech• Leave Them Demanding More• Two-Way Symmetrical; Invite Feedback