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What is Glossophobia?

Glossophobia is defined as ‘the fear or public speaking or speaking to a group of people’.

According to Osmosis.org, Glossophobia is a:

Specific type of phobia, an anxiety disorder characterised by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Individuals who suffer from glossophobia typically experience fear and anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people, and, as a result, may avoid speaking in public to avoid being embarrassed or rejected by others. Over time, individuals with glossophobia may experience negative impacts on their mental health and success at work or school.

How common is it?

Glossophobia is (surprisingly, or not) very common.

In a 2023 phobia survey conducted by YouGov Realtime, it was discovered that glossophobia was the third most common phobia on the survey with 15% of Brits declaring to have a debilitating fear of speaking in front of others.

The survey also revealed that 57% of women have some form of glossophobia compared to 39% of men.

What are the symptoms?

While not everyone would identify as a glossophobic as such, I think most people can relate to experiencing some anxiety or nerves before speaking in public so we could say that these milder symptoms of glossophobia are universal.

However, those with a more extreme fear may experience some of the following:

• Fight-or-Flight response
• Weakened tone of voice or shaky voice
• Stammering
• Extreme stress
• Shaking
• Rapid heartbeat
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Nausea or vomiting
• Shortness of breath or hyperventilating
• Panic attacks

Unsurprisingly those people who experience such unpleasant reactions to public speaking may avoid ever being in that situation again at all costs.

Where does glossophobia stem from?

There are a couple of interesting notions around this.

From a psychological perspective these are the two main theories regarding where glossophobia stems from (of course, it may be a bit different for everyone):

• The Evolution Theory: As we know, like all other animals, humans are born with two basic intrinsic instincts: self-preservation and survival of the species. So, the Evolution Theory posits that humans fear public speaking because a disappointing performance could lead to ostracization from the group (or audience). Unfortunately for our early ancestors who relied on collaboration to survive, this would have likely meant death for the ostracised one.
• The Traumatic Theory: People who suffer from glossophobia have had traumatic experiences with public speaking in the past, such as being laughed at in school.

Another proposed explanation is that glossophobia is linked to a psychiatric condition known as Social anxiety disorder (SAD) which is a mental predisposition to believe that social interactions will result in harsh negative judgement from others and poor outcomes as a result of such judgement; thus, before the social interaction occurs such as a public speech, the individual creates negative thoughts of failure, dread and being incapable, which produces negative feelings and physiological responses such as those symptoms listed above.  

How is glossophobia overcome?

Of course, the treatment for glossophobia depends on the severity of the condition and the medical history of the individual.

Now I am obviously not a medical professional so while there are psychotherapeutic treatment options and medications available, I won’t be recommending those here. If you do want to find out more on these, then here is a useful website with more information.

The good news is that there are simple techniques that anyone can apply to dilute the symptoms of glossophobia before and during a public speaking occasion. These can be applied in two stages: the preparation stage and the delivery stage.

The Preparation Stage:

• Research your topic – ensure you’re clued up.
• Write your speech (word for word at this stage is okay, but I wouldn’t recommend a full script on the day). Know what you’re going to say and what the flow of your presentation is.
• Always keep in mind the “so what?” question. In other words, how does what your saying benefit the audience? Are they getting enough out of what you’re saying? Are you keeping to the brief? Will the audience leave feeling satisfied with plenty of tangible takeaways from your presentation?
• Weave in authenticity to your presentation. Showcase your personality where it’s appropriate i.e. through jokes or personal anecdotes. It will help to break the ice on the day.
• Create cue or flash cards and/or accompanying visuals (PowerPoint for example)

• Practice, practice, practice, and practice some more. Ideally in front of an audience (see my online workshops page for more info) and / or the mirror! Keep in check your body language and facial expressions.
• Build confidence with the help of tailored meditations. There are some brilliant free mediations out there designed to help people in the run up to public speaking situations. These are amazing pep talks for your subconscious, and if your subconscious believes you’ll be sensational, relaxed, and confident on the day then rest assured you will be. You can check out an abundance of specialist meditations on YouTube to get started.
• Be prepared for potential questions from the audience by pre-empting some and planning your answers.
• Practise deep breathing techniques to feel relaxed. You could even visualise yourself as calm and collected on the day enjoying the experience, words flowing out of you, as you look around the room to see a smiling, engaged audience nodding along and hanging on to your every word! These visualisation / meditation techniques are backed and proven by neuroscience. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!
• When the big day arrives, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the venue, don’t be rushing around. You could meditate in the morning or do whatever you need to feel your best beforehand – maybe some exercise or a short walk outdoors if you have time. You need to prioritise feeling relaxed and present before you go on stage.

The Delivery Stage:

• Focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths to calm your nerves and feel centred.
• Make eye contact with the audience and SMILE. Help the audience to help you. If you’re encouraging them to feel involved in what you’re saying then they’ll listen more intently. If you’re smiling at them, they’ll smile back and will appear far less intimidating!
• Stay focused on your material and what your main points are. You can glance at your cue cards as many times as you need to, just don’t read off word for word (you shouldn’t have a full speech here with you anyway).
• Keep a steady pace. This is your time so own it. Don’t rush through the speech. You’re here to convey valuable and important information that the audience wants to hear so don’t undermine what you’re saying by rushing through it.
• Interact with the audience by asking them some questions. This will take the pressure and attention off you for a moment if things are feeling too intense. Always have this tactic in your back pocket if you need it. It will shift the situation from feeling like a monologue to a dialogue exchange.
• Keep your body language concise. If your arms are too flappy they can reveal your nerves and also distract from what you’re saying.

Dare I say it if you apply all the above then you might even enjoy yourself, and if you’re enjoying yourself then it’s likely the audience is too!

If you would like further FREE support overcoming glossophobia then may I recommend a really great online training course that you can do in your own time and from the comfort of your home.

It’s called Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking and all you need to do is register for a free account with Alison.

I would love to hear from YOU!

Do you suffer from glossophobia?

If so, what are your thoughts on this article? Is there anything I’ve missed out?

If you would like to share your own experience with glossophobia then please reach out to me via my contact page.

Thank you and I hope this has been a helpful read.

If you have a work presentation coming up or need general help in meetings then give this a read.

Tilly x