Public speaking is an essential skill for many people to learn as it opens up the opportunities for you to share your ideas and stories. These experiences help to promote growth both professionally but also personally. For example, there are Train The Trainer Courses like the ones from www.collegeofpublicspeaking.co.uk/courses/train-the-trainer that can help you gain these skills.

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There are a number of reasons that people are fearful of public speaking, and these generally fall into the following categories.

Physiological – these are the feelings that we experience in our body as a reaction to the fear and anxiety that public speaking can cause. Our bodies effectively treat public speaking as a threat, and as such, our systems go into hyperarousal. This can make lights seem too bright and noises to be heightened. It also leads to feelings of anxiety such as nausea, lightheadedness and sweating.

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Thought-related – this is where our perception of public speaking brings about the feelings of fear. It could be thoughts that heighten the importance of the speech, or it could be feelings of concern around whether people will listen and whether they are qualified enough to be speaking in the first place.

Skill and experience – when first starting in public speaking, it can be common to feel anxious and scared. Once you have acquired the skills and experience needed, you will find that the anxiety starts to lessen.