Public Speaking: A Fear Greater Than Death Itself

If you’re afraid of public speaking, you’re not alone. In fact, Glossophobia (the fear of public speaking) affects around 75% of the population. 

And it’s often ranked as the #1 fear, above death itself! Shocking, right?

Jerry Seinfeld said it best: “So, you're telling me that at a funeral, most people would rather be the guy in the coffin than have to stand up and give a eulogy.”

I work with people every day who’ve battled this fear, and here’s what I’ve come to understand: glossophobia isn’t actually a fear of public speaking. 

It’s usually a fear of failure, being judged, messing up or looking unprepared.

The good news is, it can be overcome! I’ve seen countless people go from trembling to thriving, and you can too.

At SPEAC Success, we use our 3 P’s of Public Speaking Success to help our clients face that fear and take their power back:

1. Prepare

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 

Preparation is crucial to feeling more comfortable and confident in front of your audience. The more prepared you are, the more you free up your brain to focus on delivery.

2. Practice 

Reading your talk in your head doesn’t count.  If the first time you're saying your talk out loud is in front of your audience, you’re basically doing your dress rehearsal on the main stage. Instead:

• Practice out loud. 

• Stand up. 

• Move your body. 

• Record yourself. 

• Make adjustments. 

This is how you build muscle memory and reduce the chance of freezing up. Bonus points if you record yourself or practice with a buddy!

3. Power Up

This is about getting your mind and body on the same team. Popeye has his spinach, we have our power up techniques! 

Public speaking can trigger a fight-or-flight response, which is totally normal (it’s biology). But there are ways to calm your system and shift into focus mode.

Here are two tools you can start using today:

💨 Box Breathing

This technique calms your nervous system and gets you grounded. 

Here’s how to do box breathing:

• Sit comfortably with both feet flat on the floor

• Inhale through your nose for 4 counts

• Hold your breath for 4 counts

• Exhale through your mouth for 4 counts

• Hold your breath again for 4 counts

• Repeat for 1–2 minutes. 

I walk clients and workshop attendees through this regularly, and they rave about how much of a difference it makes; not only for presentations, but also in mitigating everyday stress and anxiety. Try it…you’ll feel the difference! (I know I do!)

💬 Positive Affirmations (spoken out loud!)

Negative self-talk can hijack your focus fast and set your anxiety ablaze. So flip the script to quell the flames.

Instead of:

• “I can’t do this,” say “I’ve got this.”

• “I always mess up,” say “I’ve prepared and I’m ready.”

• “I suck at public speaking,” try “I speak clearly and confidently.”

People love to discount the power of positive affirmations, so here are some nerdy science facts that I love to back this up:  

• When you think something, around 100 neurons fire in your brain. 

• When you speak it out loud, around 10,000 neurons fire!

That’s 100x more impact—so yes, you really can speak things into existence.

Say your affirmations out loud 3–5 times to help counteract the mental noise of just one negative thought. That repetition matters.

Bottom Line: The only way to get better at public speaking is to face your fears and do it.

Yes, it’s scary. Yes, you might trip up. But that’s part of the process.

Many speakers you admire started exactly where you are now: heart pounding, palms sweating, wondering if they were cut out for this.

They did it, and so can you! 

So face that fear, own your voice, and share your message with confidence, starting with the tips above. And if you want more support, we’ve got you.

Let’s turn that fear into fuel.

Speak Success,