Fear of public speaking surrounds us. Ask anybody how they felt that first time they had to speak in public. Perhaps it was in a presentation at work, delivering a eulogy for a friend or family member, or even worse, the dreaded best-man speech. Don't worry, it's perfectly natural.

Public speaking is the worst known phobia. In a recent survey, 90% of people said that they would rather die than stand up and make a speech in front of their family, friends and colleagues. This is a serious problem. But how have we come about this crazy statistic?

It's easy. People don't want to make a fool of themselves in front of their peers. I know that when I was a child, I was of terrified visiting my aunties and uncles' houses at the weekend, because we were expected to perform a 'party piece', a two minute tortuous entertainment. A song, a monologue or a little dance would do the trick.

Real fear was not performing the 'party piece'. It was a fate worse than a fate worse than death and for me because the fear of public speaking is tied up with the humiliation involved when your 'loved-ones', people who really ought to know better, hold on to this nugget of information knowing that they can use it against you at any time, now or in the future.

As children at home, we were always told to be quiet. Similarly, at school, shut up, be quiet, go away if you want to talk! My grandfather had a rather unpleasant saying, "If you can't improve on the silence, then shut up!"

As a child, it was rather difficult to know how to improve on the silence, I found it all terribly confusing. But surely this was what granddad wanted, a quiet life with no interruptions from children who knew, well, nothing.

It's not surprising that we feel less than confident when we stand up and actually want to communicate something serious. This is hardly supportive conditioning for our careers, is it?

Do any of these scenarios strike a chord with you? An amazingly high percentage of people feel exactly the same way. You'll be glad to know that help is just an email away. If you live in the United States you'll find a number of speakers clubs in your locality and they belong to an organisation called Toastmasters International.

If you live in the United Kingdom, there's an organisation called the Association of Speakers Clubs. You can trust both organisations to give you incredible support and tools to become an effective speaker. It's great fun and you'll make some lasting friends too.

Sure, everybody has felt the sweaty palms, the forehead and under arm perspiration at the prospect of speaking in public. Join your local club and they'll soon help you step up to the speaking mark. As you grow in confidence, remember to read public speaking articles on the web to give you a broader view of the subject.

Copyright (c) 2007 The College Of Public Speaking