Fear Friend or Foe

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FearFriend or Foe
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Public Speaking Anxiety

• What is it?
• How does it work?
• How can you cope with it?

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Public Speaking Anxiety

• Perfectly natural reaction
• to a perfectly unnatural situation.

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Symptoms

• Emotional
• Feelings of anxiety
• Social
• How others will perceive us
• Mental
• Past experiences

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Emotional Symptoms

• Failure
• Embarrassment
• Losing control
• Being judged
• Showing our weaknesses
• Being laughed at

Stressed .?
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Physiologically, the response works like this

• Threat is perceived
• Alarm goes off in your brain
• Triggers two stimulants
• adrenaline and cortisol

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Adrenaline and Cortisol

• Heart rate increases
• Body temperature rises

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Perceived Threat

• Extra blood goes to your hands, legs and brain,
• Primes your muscles and nervous system
• Causes your palms and forehead to sweat.

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Perceived Threat

• Stomach organs are vulnerable to attacks
• Blood immediately leaves the area
• Causes butterflies, nausea and cramping.

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Perception

• Perception of the situation does us in
• Not the situation itself
• Mind convinces us that imaginary threats are real.

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Anticipatory Stress

• Worried about something that hasn't happened yet.

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Anxious or Enthusiastic

• Anxiety--nervous energy turned inward

• Enthusiasm--same energy turned outward

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The Key

• Turn that energy around
• Make it work for you instead of against you.

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How to Cope Emotionally

• Make friends with yourself
• Keep things in perspective
• Visualize a successful presentation
• Express how you feel

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How to Cope Physically

• Progressive Relaxation
• Breathing exercises
• Physical exertion
• Good Nutrition (especially protein)
• Staying hydrated
• Avoid chemicals
• SLEEP 8.4!!!!!!

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• Do all the breathing exercises and positive
  visualization you want
• Eat nutritious foods
• Sleep well
• Best Advice
• Prepare
• Prepare
• Prepare

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Most of us are nervous

• There are two types of speakers
• those that are nervous
• those that are liars.
  
  

Mark Twain