Here's an extract from an interesting paper by Reuben Mondejar and Arthur Gogatz.
“Peoples’ number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Now this
means that to the average person if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off
in the casket than doing the eulogy.” Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian, actor.
It’s true. Most people are terrified to stand up in front of a group and make a
presentation. Hundreds of thousands of jobs require making presentations,
addressing groups both up and down the chain of command, running committee
meetings, heading up teams, representing the company in different venues, and
explaining to prospective clients why your product is better than a competitors.
Speaking, singing or acting in public are activities most people dread, yet things,
which they also would love to be able to do. Ask students to name three things
they would love to do but are too embarrassed to do, (a written exercise, which is
done anonymously to elicit honest answers) and you usually get some form of
the following:
• Sing, act, dance or speak in public.
• Open, honest communication. Tell people what I think, (tell them off, or
conversely tell them how much I care for them.
• Dress the way I want, and/or be nude in public.
All three are easy to do when we’re alone. When no one is around, even the
shyest person can belt out a song or deliver a moving discourse, yet put us in
front of an audience and we quickly clam up. Saying what we think is never a
problem when we’re alone, neither is a lack of clothes. Bring in the neighbors
though and boy do we have a problem.
Let’s face it. The biggest fear for most people is, OTHER PEOPLE.
Unfortunately business people must deal with other people on a daily basis.
Communicating effectively is one of the most valuable assets any business
executive can possess. Not having it, on the other hand, can be like an anchor
dragging an otherwise competent person into the mud of mediocrity.
You'll find the full paper here.
http://www.cb.cityu.edu.hk/mgt/document/Applied%20Articles/Applied%20Articles/Mondejar%20and%20Gogatz%20-%20Afraid.pdf
