by Beth Maisano

Created on: April 22, 2009

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
Winston Churchill was not exaggerating. In fact, only 5% of Americans are willing to command the public platform, and it is a well known fact that most of the population fears public speaking more than death itself. How, then, can Churchill observe that it takes courage to conquer both ends of the extremity? Are we afraid of speaking, and yet afraid to be silent? The conclusion is obvious: both fears stem from the same root source.

Think about it: why is it that a person is so terrified of opening their mouth in front of a group of people? They probably aren't honestly worried about any physical harm, or even verbal abuse. More often than not, the audience is completely sympathetic to the plight of a nervous speaker. What, then, do they fear?
What is it about silence that evokes the same emotion? Do we fear the person speaking? The words they say? Or simply the fact that they control the situation?
Simply put, the fear of both situations can be summed up in one sentence: the fear of vulnerability.
Speaking itself is not a thing to be feared. In fact, some of us even enjoy the spotlight-having the attention of an audience, and the authority to speak. But in those moments before you begin, the breathtaking pause as you gather your thoughts, very few have the courage to ignore the butterflies in their stomach or the pulsing beat of their heart. Fear wraps its icy fingers around their mind, pulling them further into the wild certainty that this is a thing to be feared.
But stop a moment, and think. If there is no logical reason to fear the act of speaking itself, we are left with nothing but the hollow fear of what we may make of ourselves. Will we sound silly? Uneducated? Will the audience laugh at the jokes, or laugh at the speaker? Will anyone appreciate what is said?
Rarely does fear manifest itself so blatantly, yet we probably have silent encounters with the enemy more often than we realize. Why do we find it so painfully difficult to be silent and listen? Because as humans, we struggle to silence the incessant demands of our own will. To listen is to show some degree of submission-to willingly place ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Standing at a podium creates the same openness, and leaves us uncomfortably vulnerable to the thoughts and words of the spectators.
To fear the public platform is not to fear the thing itself, but rather to fear what the audience will see. Overcoming the fear of public speaking is to overcome the fear of ourselves.

Learn more about this author, Beth Maisano.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.