Research on stage fright and fear of public speaking

Abstract

A large number of people find themselves in a position to have a public appearance and speech ; to present a topic to a large number of people, to have an important presentation for their superiors, big customers or to appear on television, take an oral exam, etc. Although everything is well prepared, most people feel tension, have rapid heartbeat, and often sweating palms or weakness in the knees and even stomach cramps. Given that stage fright and fear of public speaking (glossophobia) are an indispensable component of any public speech, one of the goals of this research was to provide a basis for better planning, preparation and elimination of stage fright and fear of public speaking. The research also includes measuring certain variables related to public speaking, such as the level of stage fright and fear, a comparison with other types of fear, the incidence and intensity of certain symptoms of stage fright and fear, as well as other factors influencing fear of public speaking. This primary research on a sample of 536 adult respondents in the Republic of Croatia, using online survey methodology, showed that there are many symptoms of stage fright and fear of public speaking and that fear of public speaking is extremely high, even higher than the fear of death. The obtained data show that the majority of respondents (92%) have some form of stage fright and fear before public speaking, with certain symptoms being more pronounced in young people and women, especially increased heartbeat. When comparing the types of fears that people generally have, it turned out that the most pronounced is the fear of public speaking (88%), followed by fear of disease (86%) and fear of death (79%).