“Are your fears rational? Our tendency to get scared by just imagining potential threats can be very protective, driving us to take precautions and avoid certain hazards rather than confronting them. But our experience of fear doesn’t necessarily match up with the level of risk we face. So that many of us have found ourselves filled with dread over things unlikely to harm us.”
This is the beginning of a podcast called “The Psychology of Fear” from think with Krys Boyd. The truth is, lots of people are afraid of public speaking. Statistics show that somewhere around 40-45% of the population claims to have some form of presentation anxiety. But is fear of public speaking the same thing as presentation anxiety?
Recently I came across the podcast quoted above. In it, Dr. Alicia Meuret, Director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center at SMU; and Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, Chair of UT-Southwestern’s Mental Health Department discuss fear—specifically how we process fear, why it can hijack normally rational thoughts, and how it differs from anxiety.
I’d like to highlight a few of their thoughts on our blog today. I truly believe the more we talk about our fear of public speaking, the more understanding and control we gain.
So What’s the Difference?
We often use the terms “fear” and “anxiety” interchangeably, and it’s true, they have some things in common. Both are protective responses. And both can be experienced both emotionally and physiologically.
But here is the crucial difference. Fear is a nearly immediate reaction anchored in the present. It is a reaction that prepares us. Think fight or flight response. Usually it’s your body’s response to something you didn’t expect or see coming.
Anxiety, unlike fear, is oriented in the future. It is being worried about what could happen. And sometimes anxiety builds out of fear experiences we’ve had in the past. Dr. Meuret says, a moderate level of anxiety “helps us to perform better, to make us think more sharply in the moment, to prepare us.” Using these definitions, when we talk about any negative feelings we may have about public speaking, anxiety might be the better term.
Processing Anxiety
Dr. Trivedi likes to think of processing fear and anxiety in 3 sequential steps. If you have anxiety when it comes to public speaking, or if you worry about being in front of an audience in general, these steps can help you.
1. Accept it.
First, recognize that fear is common. Remember that it serves a protective purpose. Recognize it as the helpful response that it is. Don’t aim to get rid of it completely, but instead, work to accept it as both natural and normal.
2. Get curious.
Next, ask yourself, “now that I know that I am afraid or anxious, what do I do with these feelings?” This is where you begin what Dr. Trivedi calls the appraisal process. Begin to examine whether something truly has the ability to harm you. Try to understand where your feelings are coming from and if they are appropriate for the amount of actual risk you might encounter in the situation. Dr. Trivedi says this step is critical because some people can examine their fear logically and get to the right appraisal. However, others inaccurately assess the situation and they become more fearful, increasing the chances that this instance will build to continued anxiety surrounding the situation or circumstance.
3. Respond accordingly.
Finally examine your response. What action do you need to take? How can you reappraise the fear or anxious feelings based on more information? Do you have behavior or thoughts that need to change? If you’ve conducted an inaccurate appraisal in step two, you might have a response that doesn’t match the situation. If you’ve seen the situation, for example a presentation at work, as more dangerous or risky than it actually is, can you reappraise and readjust the level of anxiety you feel?
So it seem the terms “fear” and “anxiety” aren’t exactly interchangeable. Fear is typically reactionary where anxiety is usually preparatory. When we use Dr. Trivedi’s 3-step process, we can continually address and assess our fears, making the necessary adjustments to keep them from becoming repeating patterns of presentation anxiety.
Ready to break the cycle of presentation anxiety? Check out our presentation training resources at Ethos3 now.
