Glossophobia

Does this scare you?

As part of Toastmasters International's re-branding they've acknowledged that leaders are speakers and speakers are leaders.  The two go hand-in-hand.

How many times have you been in a school, work, or social group where the group's leadership defaults to whomever is willing to speak up?  It is only natural to default leadership to those willing to speak.

Leadership by volume really limit's a group's overall success.  In order for a an individual or a group to succeed, it needs to communicate.  Most people are just fine communicating with a very small group, but as a group gets larger, their fear of speaking inhibits their ability to communicate.  We even have a term for this phenomena: Glossophobia.

From wikipedia:

Symptoms include:

• intense anxiety prior to, or simply at the thought of having to verbally communicate with any group,
• avoidance of events which focus the group's attention on individuals in attendance,
• physical distress, nausea, or feelings of panic in such circumstances.

Estimated 75% of all speakers experience some degree of anxiety/nervousness when public speaking.

I hadn't read the glossophobia entry in it's entirety before starting this post, but I wasn't surprised to see that wikipedia had Toastmasters International listed first as an organization offering "training courses in public speaking help reduce the fear to manageable levels."

Think about it.  What is the best way to overcome a fear?  Education and practice.  Toastmasters Club 61 meets every Tuesday giving members and visitors alike a small amount of education and practice in public speaking & other leadership skills.

We aren't the only club in the Treasure Valley.  You can visit the Toastmasters International website to find a club near you.