Public Speaking and The Value of Freaking Out

Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go. Herman Hesse

What are you most afraid of?

For most people, it’s public speaking. And for some, the fear of public speaking is so dramatic that it’s right up there with the fear of death.

People are often terrified that the panic and the anxiety they feel will overwhelm them, render them speechless and weak-kneed.

So what could possibly be the value of all that potential "freaking out?"

Del Jones, in a USA Today article, writes: "To first-time parachuters, the ‘freakout point’ arrives 2 miles above the ground when the plane door opens to a sky of noise, the pressure drops and jumpers are struck with such anxiety that they can hardly breathe."

Jumping out of airplanes, climbing mountains, flying airplanes – what a lot of possibilities for freakout points! Jones goes on to write: "Freakout points don’t require the risk of injury or death, just enough fear to take the breath away, enough that it takes fortitude to keep from backing out. Perhaps the most common freakout point comes with public speaking, and Iron Mountain CEO Richard Reese remembers being drafted early in his career to do a last-minute presentation on a technical subject he knew zero about."

In any risk — in life, in sport, in business — crossing that freakout point will teach us many things, but most importantly it will teach us that we can survive. We also learn to concentrate – a valuable tool in a situation where it seems nearly impossible to focus, a situation where we’d rather scream and run away.

No matter what activity you are engaged in, what can you do to get over your fear, especially of public speaking? What can you do to make yourself cross that freakout point to arrive at self-confidence and strength?  

Well, you could try ignoring the fear and the freaking point by suffering through it all. But if it’s a presentation you’re trying to make, fear will rob you of the ability to be yourself, to walk in a casual, self-confident manner to the stage. Your body will stiffen, your breathing will come short and fast (or feel like it’s not coming at all) and you may forget what to do with the arms dangling at your sides or how to put one foot in front of the other.

On Steve Tobak’s blog, he writes, "The absolutely worst thing you can do is ignore your fear and shy away from speaking publicly. Reducing your fear and anxiety is all about reducing your isolation and boosting your confidence. The only way to do that is to understand it, work at it, and get out there and speak."

So ignoring fear won’t work. What about avoiding fear? Okay. To avoid fear, stay away from doing anything new or different. Don’t jump out of airplanes. Don’t do any public speaking or give any presentations. Don’t do anything that scares you. (Don’t have a life.)

The best way (and the only way) to overcome fear is to face it, to give yourself the opportunity to cross that freaking point.

Nietzsche said, That which does not kill us makes us stronger. While public speaking will probably not kill you, in the beginning, you may feel like it will. But mostly, you’re simply afraid to fail, afraid that the audience will hate you, that you’ll forget your speech, that you’ll make a fool of yourself. Nerves are normal. Take that adrenaline rush you feel from the anxiety and the panic and turn it around: turn it into a source of power for your presentation.

Like the beginner, the swordmaster is fearless, but, unlike him, he grows daily less and less accessible to fear.

Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery.

Dan Egan, an extreme skier and author of Courage to Perservere, says, "We try and teach people to use fear as a motivator to do things correctly. Success is learned through failure, and confidence is gained as skill levels build." One of his clients says she almost welcomes the occasional freakout point to help keep her mind open.

Some primitive societies have a naming myth which revolves around the belief that if you call a demon by its name, it can no longer hurt you. One way of getting outside your fears and seeing them with perspective is the process of naming them. A good name helps de-mystify the process. Call that fear whatever name you like if it helps.

Whatever route you choose to cross that freaking point, be sure you do it. Take risks. Give yourself opportunities to stretch, not just during presentations but in your personal life as well.

Challenge yourself. Stand straight. Show the self-confidence you’ve learned by crossing that freakout point and succeeding.

Also see The Fear Factor >>

Below, see Terry Gault of the Henderson Group on Public Speaking Fear