Fear of Public Speaking and Perfectionism
As so many polls suggest, the fear of public speaking is people’s number one phobia.
The problem — at least one problem — with public speaking is, well, it’s public. Any mistake you make is right out there for everyone to see and hear. That’s why perfectionism is, in my opinion, the main enemy of public speaking and the root cause of most fear of public speaking. If you’re afraid of making mistakes and afraid of being seen to make mistakes, you’ve got lots of reasons to fear public speaking.
Perfectionism causes problems in just about every human endeavor, but it wrecks havoc when it comes to giving a speech.
Here’s why Ron Pereia thinks perfectionism — in general — can be so dangerous.
1. You’re scared to try new things.
A perfectionist may plan and plan and plan the improvement idea, or new business, or new anything… only to find themselves frozen with fear in such a way as to never actually give it a try.
2. You may lose focus of what really matters - long term perfection.
Some of you may have read Dr. James Womack’s good work. If this is the case you probably know his fifth step of lean implementation is to pursue perfection.
So, does this mean he’s saying we should all become short term perfectionists? I don’t think so.
Instead, I think Womack is saying to keep our eyes down field. He’s saying that the “ideal state” we’re all aiming for doesn’t really exist since better is always possible which, in this case, makes it the perfect target for us continuous improvement practitioners.
3. You may just lose your mind.
If nothing but perfection is acceptable you may end up losing your mind. You may read and re-read every email, document, or blog entry hundreds of times only to skip over the fact that you meant to say “morale” and not “moral.” And when someone calls you on it, in front of thousands of others, you may feel like curling up into the fetal position and dying. Of course I’m not speaking from actual experience here or anything.
The Deadly Sin of Perfectionism | Lean Six Sigma Academy
What he says about the dangers of perfectionism in general applies in spades to speaking.
Trying to eliminate your fear is, paradoxically, a form of perfectionism. (”I shouldn’t be afraid!”) So try instead to lessen it.
Do you agree? Does perfectionism trip you up? Any stories you’d like to share?
Tags: Chris Witt, fear of public speaking, overcoming the fear of public speaking, public speaking tips, Witt Communications