Author: Alexa Wilcox
Happy Halloween everyone!
Hopefully everyone’s October ended with a bang; soon we will be saying goodbye to all of the beautiful fall foliage, sweater weather, and wonderful seasonal coffee flavors. Personally, I’m going to miss SyFy’s 31 Days of Halloween, for I’m a giant fan of horror movies. Even outside of Halloween season, there is nothing like sitting back and enjoying a classic like A Nightmare on Elm Street or a psychological thriller like Gone Girl. Horror movies, however, aren’t for everybody.
Some people watch a scary movie and have nightmares about spiders crawling everywhere or zombies pounding on the door. Spiders and dying are both on the list of America’s top fears. To some, however, neither are quite as scary as standing up in front of a crowd with index cards in your hand and a slideshow behind you.
Did you get chills simply thinking about that scenario? Did you groan at the memory of a midterm/final presentation you gave in class that was 50% of your grade? If you answered yes you are not out of the ordinary. For years, public speaking has been considered the number one fear in the United States. To many people this is common knowledge, but how can public speaking be put above spiders and dying? To understand why public speaking is cause for some to run screaming from the podium, it is important to look deeper into the roots of this fear.
Oftentimes a fear of public speaking coincides with a fear of rejection. What if I stutter? You think, Or what if I trip on my way up the stairs? Both of these questions have the same answer that you tell yourself: People will judge me. But everybody judges everybody all the time. Why is it suddenly more scary in front of a crowd?
Numbers.
Over the past million years, humans have evolved into a social species. What that means is that we tend to function effectively in groups. According to the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, “[b]eing part of a group can be extremely beneficial to animals as a way to obtain food, defend themselves from predators or cope with environmental changes”. One of the most important benefits of being in a group was protection from predators. In groups, animals can alert other members of their squad and take action together. Glenn Croston Ph.D of Psychology Today stated that “The advantages of living in a group probably are the reason why early humans and other large primates evolved to be social, and why we are still social today.”
So where does rejection fit into this? Following the logic of being stronger in a group, it is quite possible to be weaker alone. Even worse, one could be ostracized from a group, which had lead to starvation and attacks by predators. Today, rejection could mean that you don’t get your dream job or you aren’t accepted into grad school. Millions of years ago, rejection meant a death sentence.
Since humans have evolved to live in groups, that fear of rejection has stuck around. Today it serves more of a purpose to motivate us to be part of groups. Nowadays we are much less likely to be struck down by lions, tigers, or bears. Yet the fear stands.
So then we come back to standing on that stage, all alone with your slideshow. How do you know there isn’t a bobcat in the audience waiting to pounce at the end of your presentation? If this goes well, are the people in the audience going to jump to protect you? Or are they going to roll their eyes and let the bobcat get you because your slide color choice was mediocre? And how about if you run into that bobcat as you’re leaving the auditorium? Whether your presentation goes well or not, it is not likely that a bobcat will maul you while people stand idly. But your fear still stands. Thanks, evolution.
The fear for your fate in a bobcat attack is not exactly the first thing on your mind, however. The first thing that would come to your mind is how people will perceive you during and after your speaking. There is a fear that people will joke about you or belittle what you are speaking about. Both are perfectly valid concerns to have. You only get one chance to make a first impression.
Another branch off of the fear of public speaking and people’s judgement is the stereotype threat. According to social psychologists Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson, “stereotype threat is being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one’s group.” Steele and Aronson conducted famous experiences demonstrating the effects of stereotype threat. Black and white students were given a difficult oral test. In one study, the students were told that the test was a measure of intellectual ability, thus presenting the risk for black students to confirm the racial stereotypes about intellectual ability. In another study, the students were not told that the test measured intellectual ability. Black students who were under influence of the stereotype threat did poorer than white students, while those who were not under its influence did equal.
The stereotype threat can be applied to people of many backgrounds, such as people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, and more. As a result, public speaking can be scarier with the stereotype threat present.
As upcoming businesswomen, we will have to do a great amount of public speaking throughout our careers. But even then, there is no shame in having worries about it! As mentioned before, public speaking is the number one fear in the United States. You are not alone if you are afraid! Everyone has the willies once and a while about giving an important speech or presentation. With that, everyone also has the capability to overcome it and kill that presentation like Jason from Friday the 13th.
If you find yourself unable to cope with your fear of public speaking, there are plenty of resources to seek out! Having a supportive group of friends is always a great step, and finding a professional to talk to is awesome also.
Once again, have a Happy Halloween!