What is the #1 cause of public speaking fear?
Perception.
People are afraid of how they THINK they will come across to the audience.
No one is scared of forgetting. They are scared of how forgetting makes them look.
A speaker is not afraid of freezing. He or she is worried about the THOUGHTS going through the minds of listeners at that moment.
If the room was empty a speaker could freeze, forget, stumble, bumble, break down and cry and would not care a bit. He wouldn't be scared or worried because no one would be there to judge or critique.
Like other fears in life, most of the imagined things that could go wrong NEVER come close to happening.
Over all, our problem is that we care far too much what other people think (in every area of life). Why? Because we think it reflects what we should think about ourselves.
That's ridiculous.
When you step in front of a group you should be consumed with how your message is going to HELP them, not how you could be HURT if things don't go as planned. When you are worried about you that's just EGO.
Do you need the audience or does the audience need you?
If the answer is found in the first half of that question, then you have an ego problem. Let go of that ego.
Warm Regards,
Paul Evans
Paul Evans is the developer of Instant Speaking Success. His speaking career began with a 6th grade speech and he's crammed 25 years of experience into his training. http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com