What causes fear of public speaking?

There are several potential causes of the fear of public speaking. Frequently it's about how you were treated as a child. Children are often told at home and at school to "keep quiet". This means they perceive speaking out loud as incorrect in some way; they are learning "not to speak". Hence, when we grow up and are asked to speak this provokes a conflict in your mind which is suggesting to us that speaking out loud is in some way "wrong". Hence we do not wish to do it.

Confident adult speakers are usually those who as children were encouraged to speak out loud, who were not restricted or told to keep quiet. If you are a parent, allowing your children freedom to express themselves when they are young will do them a great service for their adult life as they are less likely to be scared of public speaking.

Labels: causes