The major sources or triggers of speech anxiety are (Note 4):

The reasons non-academics give for why the prospect of giving a speech gives them anxiety are, roughly, the sames as those confirmed via academic research.

There are really two ways to cope with the stress of speaking in public:

Avoidance: Convert speeches to sit-down style presentations

Stress management: Manage your Mind

Avoidance: Convert speeches to sit-down style presentations

Let’s be honest.

The most effective way to eliminate the stress of speaking in public is to not speak in public.

You should bookmark this article now so you will be able to reference that little tidbit later.

In all seriousness, for many, many people, this is exactly the strategy they adopt. It works.

If you MUST give a presentation, you can still use this strategy (but with a twist).

Not all presentations are alike. There are State of the Union addresses to the entire nation. TED Talks seen by millions on the web. And then there is the ‘presentation’ you need to give at your team meeting.

Sit-down, McKinsey-style presentations often get lumped into the category of presentations and public speaking. And they are a different breed entirely. They are made sitting down, around a table, updating a project team, or presenting our thinking to our boss.

The context of these types of ‘sit-down’ meetings has a profound effect on the stress they generate.

These types of meetings and presentations:

Consist of small groups, in a more intimate setting, seated

Will be more detail oriented

Are more likely to result in discussion, with other people contributing and asking questions

Likely to have the participants holding a hard-copy of the presentation in their hand

They can be, for many, considerably less stressful. You can learn to become very good at writing these types of presentations through presentation training.

Where possible, a useful avoidance mechanism is to convert a ‘public speaking’ style presentation into a sit-down style presentation. It will have smaller groups, seated around a table, with supporting material that can be referenced. And it will be less stressful.

Stress management: Manage your Mind via Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Stress (physiological arousal) is neither inherently positive, nor negative. Positive or negative emotional reactions to stress are a result of how we interpret or react to being aroused.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy. It works to change unhelpful thinking and behavior.

Put simply, re-framing how we think about stress helps reduce stress and anxiety.

Some fascinating research on stress in public speaking conducted by Dr. Jeremy Jamieson, concluded that “changing cognitions produces downstream benefits”. Participants of the study who were placed in stressful public speaking situations, but prepped about the benefits of stress beforehand, exhibited better outcomes than control participants. (Note 5)