Im writing a paper for class about, what causes the fear of public speaking. So can any body throw in their opinion by telling me what’s cause you to fear public speaking or what you think the causes are for others.
Thanks

Panic attacks and anxiety disorders are widespread across the globe in today’s society. With the added tension and stress around within every different culture, there is no wonder panic attacks and anxiety disorders effect so many of us. So when it comes to Panic Attacks Causes, which are actually most common in today’s world.

Causes of panic attacks can be small, not every panic attack is brought on by a huge occurrence. The general, most common causes tend to be situational such as phobias, large crowds, public speaking or tight spaces. Many sufferers fall into this category and feel anxious at these type of situations. This can be brought on from other occurrences in a persons life that completely destroys confidence. Those simple things that were once something you did on a regular basis, now seem like a iron wall that cannot be penetrated.

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Social phobia can develop for a variety of reasons. The disorder starts in childhood or young adulthood and may grow by slow degrees as time passes. While this phobia often presents itself at a young age, it can stay with a person for years or decades and can snowball into an even greater problem.

Some of the reasons that the phobia occurs include:

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Social phobia can develop for a variety of reasons. The disorder starts in childhood or young adulthood and may grow by slow degrees as time passes. While this phobia often presents itself at a young age, it can stay with a person for years or decades and can snowball into an even greater problem.

Some of the reasons that the phobia occurs include:

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When an individual is extremely self conscious and also has extreme amounts of anxiety regarding social situations, it is called social anxiety. It is also referred to as social phobia and is a disorder. These people constantly have the fear of being judged, watched or criticized. These people have such a great amount of fear that it does interfere with life at school, work, and any kind of social activity or even with everyday life. Most of these people do realize that the fear is something that is not really needed but are still not bale to stop it.

Social phobia is also one form of phobia. A few people feel scared to drink or even eat in front of other people. Some of them do not speak in front of other people also. Some of the cases may be so severe that the person is scared to speak to another person. Physical symptoms develop in many of the cases of social phobia. They include blushing, sweating, talking with difficulty, palpitations, trembling, discomfort in the stomach and many more. It makes it very simple if they deal with these problems instead of worrying more about it.

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Through my many years teaching voice and presentation skills, I have found that those who experience truly debilitating, gut-wrenching fear of public speaking have had a bad experience sometime during their elementary or even middle school years when they’ve been required to stand and speak.   And while that one event may not affect every child the same way, for some the damage can be traumatic.

Please understand that I am not talking about the usual nervousness experienced by most of us making a presentation or giving a speech.  That nervousness is good.  It is beneficial:   that extra spurt of adrenaline can help make your delivery exhilarating.  In my business, I don’t advocate the elimination of nervousness; instead, I teach people how to control it, allowing it to work for them, not against them.

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Panic disorder is a pretty scary disorder to have and those panic attacks causes can be quite varied from person to person. We live in a very stressful world and there is just so much tension and stress in so many people worldwide and as a result of all this stress there is also a big number of people that suffer from panic and/or anxiety disorders. One of the big causes of panic attack is phobias. People have many different phobias such as public speaking, fear of having an accident while driving, fear of large crowds, among others and sometimes this fear can become irrational. When fears become irrational then they can become a real problem, as this is when you may start developing a panic disorder. This fear can become so strong that when a person does come across their feared situation they could have a panic attack. Once a person has a panic attack then they are faced with a new fear on top of the old one, they now also have the fear of having an attack when faced with that situation that they are already afraid of. The fear of another attack is enough to make them have another one. Trauma is another common cause of panic disorder and when someone is faced with a devastating loss such as a loss of job, marriage breakup, loss of a family member, or even a major illness or surgery, can lead to this disorder. The mind is put under enormous pressure during traumatic events and in some people it is just too much to handle and the way they think will begin to change and even become irrational. Another cause of panic attacks is underlying disorders like depression. It is reasonably common for someone with depression to develop panic attacks, although not everyone with depression will. Your mind is already in a very negative path if you have depression and the constant negative thinking can develop fears of always being in depression amongst other fears. The mind really is an amazing thing but unfortunately it isn’t always rational and when that irrational part of the brain becomes too strong it can be difficult to change it back to thinking rationally again. The body responds to dangerous situations with its panic reaction and this is normal, but when the mind is thinking irrationally it is letting the body think that it is in a dangerous situation when it actually isn’t. The good news is that although it is difficult to change the way your mind is working, it is possible and you can overcome your fears and your panic attacks. Panic attacks causes are not all that relevant to the cure. To overcome your panic disorder you need to try to think positively and be determined to beat it. There are some very simple techniques available that can help you to get rid of this disorder for good.

The simplest way to describe anxiety is as ‘a feeling of uneasiness’ – the kind of feeling one may get if they are undertaking something for the first time, sitting an exam or are concerned about their own, or a loved one’s, health. This type of feeling is extremely common and is a natural part of a person’s life.

We’ve all felt anxiety attacks of one level or another, that moment of terror when our heart races, blood drains from our faces and we wonder if we’re going to pass out. For more than ten percent of us these feelings aren’t momentary and don’t pass. Expensive drugs and psychological therapy are one answer, but there are natural anxiety cures as well that are far more accessible.

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How to Conquer Your Fear of Speaking – 3 Causes and 3 Choices
By Dr. Robert Portnoy

As professionals, we’re frequently called upon to give both formal and informal presentations – whether to customers, colleagues, bosses and even board members. Some of us are trained, readily prepared, and eagerly welcome or create the opportunity to inform, demonstrate, persuade, inspire and motivate. Others of us run, shirk and when absolutely necessary – squeak by. And many of us are scared to death, even though we may not show it. In fact, statistics show that nearly 75% of the population has a fear of speaking. It’s often said that when it comes to common fears, the fear of speaking tops the list right up there with fear of snakes, spiders and death itself. As Jerry Seinfeld said, “The average person at a funeral would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
While certainly common, the fear of speaking can be devastating – not only to careers, but to relationships. Communication is the crucial bridge that connects people and when it’s compromised by fear, the connection is limited, threatened and easily broken.
The extent of this fear runs along a continuum from normal and mild to severe and debilitating. Most everyone feels a bit nervous when getting up in front of audience or making an important presentation even if it’s only to a few people – if those people can impact the speaker’s success. And this slight nervousness is easily managed and overcome once the presentation gets underway – especially when the speaker is well prepared with a point and a purpose. But towards the severe end of the continuum, the anxiety can be overwhelming and the physical manifestations can be significant – including impact on blood pressure, heart rate, muscle weakness, flushed skin, sweaty hands and more.
Much has been written about the fear of speaking. And various practitioners, ranging from self-proclaimed experts to highly trained professionals, offer methods and remedies to help speakers overcome it. From an overview perspective, there are three primary causes – any one of which (or in combination) that lead to the fear of speaking.
The first type of cause is an anxiety disorder – leading to a phobia. A phobia is defined as an irrational, intense fear of an object or situation that poses little or no actual danger. At first glance, a phobia may seem similar to a normal fear. It is the degree to which a person is affected that determines whether that fear has become a phobia. The fear of speaking is a type of social phobia – a fear of being embarrassed in public. The key to both understanding and treating a phobia is recognizing that while the fear and anxiety can be intense and “real”, there is little or no actual danger. There is nothing in the situation that can actually harm the person who is experiencing the anxiety. There is no snake that will bite, no ladder that will fall, no gun that will shoot, etc. The danger is not real – only imagined. Getting up in front of an audience, for a person who has a fear of speaking is not imaginary. What is imaginary is the danger that the speaker believes lurks in the room. There is no real danger – at least nothing that the speaker couldn’t be trained to handle.
The second type of cause is faulty beliefs. The person who has a fear of speaking may believe that they are incapable or not good enough. These beliefs can often be traced back to situations in their past where their parents treated them in ways that made them doubt themselves and feel incapable. For example, imagine the impact on a young child who repeatedly hears, “What’s the matter with you?” or “How many times have I told you?” Coupled with a “yelling” tone of voice, these messages can lead to beliefs that shape a child’s self-esteem and impact the choices they make when trying to cope with life’s challenges. Consider the impact that a belief of “I’m not good enough” could have on a speaker as he faces a hostile audience. Certainly, fear and anxiety are easy to understand in light of these kinds of beliefs.
The third type of cause is competence. In many cases the difference between an average and an exceptional speaker is training. Effective speaking, while a “gift” and an art for some, comes down to learning, experience and feedback for most. Learning to buiild and deliver a compelling presentation requires instruction, guidance and time. It’s only natural that less experienced speakers will feel more anxious than accomplished speakers.
Certainly these three types of causes may occur in any combination. An inexperienced speaker who has irrational fears and faulty beliefs is going to have much more trouble in front of people than a speaker who suffers from only one of the three conditions.
But there is hope. Any of these causal conditions can be changed – and if not totally, at least to some degree. Here’s how.
Phobias can be managed through certain forms of therapy and medication. One approach that has been effective for many people with a fear of speaking is called Virtual Reality Training. Using this method, the individual is exposed to the feared situation over and again in the absence of any real danger. To manage the fear of speaking, the person faces, talks to and gives presentations to a virtual audience. The trained practitioner controls the reactions of the virtual audience using specialized computer software. With repeated exposure, the fear and anxiety diminish helping the person face real audiences with more comfort and confidence. For more information about this type of treatment, contact me at greatspeakers@aol.com.
When faulty beliefs are the cause, the beliefs can be targeted and essentially replaced with new and more healthy beliefs. This approach is based on the notion that beliefs are just that – beliefs. You can’t see them, you can’t feel them, and you can’t show them to anyone else. They exist only in your head. The objective is to get them out of your head so they don’t bother you anymore and then to replace them with healthy beliefs that are based in reality. This approach is now available through a self-study DVD program and has been validated as effective through university research. For more information, contact me at greatspeakers@aol.com.
Fear of speaking that stems from inexperience is relatively easy to overcome simply by learning how to speak effectively. There are many options including classroom training, public seminars and corporate programs. A new option is now available that enables learners to develop their speaking skills through self-study. It is a multi-media program (making use of speech instrumentation, CDs, DVDs, and a professional library)  that allows learners to systematically measure and develop their presentation skills in the privacy of their own home or office. For more information about this learning method, visit www.pstoolkit.com.
Speaking effectively is critical to connecting with people, to professional development and to building and sustaining fulfilling relationships. When fear of speaking gets in the way, personal and professional success can be tragically compromised.  This article has provided a basis for understanding the causes of this fear and some choices that are readily available to help just about anyone speak with comfort and confidence.

Dr. Robert Portnoy is a licensed speech pathologist. He has helped hundreds of people overcome their fear of speaking and learn to speak effectively. Dr. Portnoy is the founder and president of Great Speakers Training Company (www.greatspeakers.org) and the developer of The Presentation Skills ToolkitTM  – www.pstoolkit.com.

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Studies show that public speaking phobia, and most phobias, develop in middle or late childhood stage. It usually starts from an unpleasant experience like being humiliated in front of the class; this unpleasant experience gets stored in the child’s memory and is brought up when faced with similar situations. Children who have been exposed to people with public speaking phobia, like their parents or friends, learn the phobia by hearing them. Research also shows that genetics also play an important role in developing phobias. Phobias are mostly likely to occur in identical twins, than in fraternal twins.

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