Also commonly referred to as fear of public speaking, performance anxiety, public speaking phobia, presentation anxiety or performance nerves. In various surveys, the fear of performing in public is often one of the highest ranked fears. The fear itself is almost always about feelings of inadequacy or being judged negatively by others.
If you get nervous whilst performing or public speaking then you are feeling the effects of the fight or flight response. This is a natural response to a perceived threat. Its purpose is to ensure that we are prepared physically to deal with whatever that threat might be. The usual result is that we either run away and avoid the threat or physically fight it. The perceived threat itself may be physical or psychological in nature. (e.g. potential physical harm, looking foolish, making a scene, not being accepted or liked, appearing weak, etc.) When it is activated, hormones such as adrenaline are released into the bloodstream to prepare your body for action. The fight or flight response actually functions extremely well, however problems arise when it is triggered in situations which we simply can’t avoid or fight our way out of. Such as meetings, interviews, speeches, performances or presentations.
The effects of the fight or flight response include an increase in our heart rate to pump blood faster to the lungs, muscles and brain. We breath more rapidly to increase our oxygen levels, our muscles tense ready for action and many functions not necessary for fighting or escaping, such as digestion or reproduction, slow or stop.
Common symptoms of a fear of public speaking /performance anxiety may include: excessive perspiration, tingling, tightening of the throat, breathing difficulties, light-headed, frequent need to urinate, muscle tension, trembling, stuttering, catastrophic thinking, fear of ‘being found out’, indigestion, pins and needles, fear of losing control, fear of making a fool of oneself, fear of a heart attack, churning stomach, muscle pain, sense of inferiority, inadequacy, weakness or shame.
All performance anxieties first starts within our thoughts. If we think a threat exists within a situation, our brain stimulates the release of the various stress related hormones.
We react in much the same way, whether we are experiencing a real situation or just thinking about it. Simply thinking negatively about a future situation such as a presentation, performance or event is enough to to trigger the fight or flight response.
If you have experienced anxiety then you will most likely have tried to control it using will-power alone, and probably failed in the process. Due to the way anxiety works, it is very hard to fight head on. Usually the more you attempt to control and fight it, the worse it will actually get! An obvious solution is not to try to control the symptoms, but to flow with them where possible and focus on and change what’s actually causing them.
As anxiety starts with your negative thoughts about a situation, the most logical place to start making changes is with those problematic thoughts. Change those thoughts so that you stop perceiving the situation as a threat and the anxiety goes away. This is actually a much easier and quicker process that you might think, and any experienced psychotherapist should be able to help.
Public speaking anxiety can occur in any situation were you are the centre of attention. It can be very common in situations such as: presentations, meetings, interviews, acting auditions and performances, musical performances, wedding speeches, exams.
Nigel Magowan is an integrative psychotherapist who works with stage fright, anxiety disorders, IBS and phobias. Treatment for Interview Anxiety in London, Harley Street Interview Anxiety treatment in Manchester