Fear of Public Speaking in Adults

Have you ever wondered why we often shy away from saying what we believe is right? What is it that's stopping us from expressing ourselves? And why are some people capable of easily speaking what is on their mind? The answer to all these questions lies in the art of Public Speaking. Public speaking basically refers to the act of delivering a speech, thoughts, and ideas in an articulate and convincing manner to an audience. From our social circle to our professional circle, there is not a single aspect where it is not pivotal. We need public speaking skills to not just ace the success ladder professionally, but also to build and maintain healthy relationships with our loved ones. Do you think it would have been possible for human civilization to get to where it is today had Public Speaking not played a vital role in inspiring masses? The Art of Public Speaking holds the power of transforming the way things work. The French Revolution, the American Revolution, and other big events in history happened because someone was able to influence people with the help of his/her Public Speaking skills. People like Plato, Aristotle, Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King are all harbingers of revolutions and one thing they all had in common was exceptional public speaking skills. Written work is not the only thing that inspired people, the speeches delivered by revolutionaries too played a huge role in motivating people to come together and fight.

However, in spite of being such an important skill, Public Speaking is often overlooked. This statement takes us back to the three questions that were raised at the beginning of this article. The actual reason we often fail to express ourselves or involuntarily pass on the mic to others, fearing embarrassment, is the lack of this important skill. People of our generation are easily able to type our thoughts and feelings and post them on social media, but are afraid of speaking the same things out loud. No matter how hard we try, we end up missing out on opportunities to prove our worth because of this unnecessary fear. The most important thing to consider here is that, this is not even our fault to begin with. Our education system is designed in such a way that the focus has always been on the development of academics and hard skills. We are not taught to express our feelings and views even in front of our family members, and this is why so many talented individuals fail to give their inputs and ideas. With the changing times, Public speaking is being recognized as an important soft skill. Many of us are taking the initiative to add this to our skill

set, however, the percentage of such people is still less. We need more adults with this skill so that they can contribute towards the betterment of our nation. More importantly, we need children and our future generations to develop this skill so they can grow up into confident individuals. There are some parents who are making sure that their children master this skill. We need Public Speaking to unveil ideas and thoughts we often keep to ourselves fearing embarrassment. We need it to take a firm stand for what's right, to raise our voice. And most importantly, we need it to become better humans and citizens.