rse to graduate from your university. Somehow you manage to live through college and your public speaking class, but the nightmare continues. Now you enter the real world and come to realize that in every job you apply for y

from these conditions. The next section is designed to try to help explain some of the ways you can overcome these dreadful situations (Horowitz, 2002).

As mentioned before, the reason most people get anxious when speaking in front of a group is that they are afraid of looking foolish in front of peers or important people. They are afraid that their lack of speaking skills will lower the opinion others have of them. There are some basic steps that can be used to overcome this fear. These tips are primarily helpful when preparing for an oral presentation. The first step is to be well prepared before you speak in front of a group. The best way to ensure that you won’t make foolish mistakes s to prepare beforehand. Weather you are giving a performance in front of fellow classmates or a critical presentation to corporate executives, you must be sure that all material is ready, strategies are laid out, contingency plans are made, and that every detail is taken care of. Secondly, you must have a back up. In case something goes wrong in your presentation, it is worthwhile to bring a “safety blanket”. For example, have your speech outlined on note cards in case you have a mental lapse. But, you should not have to depend on your backup. Thirdly, try to reduce the fear you may have of your audience. One old trick is to imagine that the audience is naked. A ridiculous image like this can help to relax you and may help you view your audience as not all that important. After all, they are just people and they are there to hear what you have to say. Lastly, you must practice, practice, and practice. The more you practice what you have to say, the more automatic it becomes and the more confidence you will have in your abilities to give the speech. (Kurtus, www.school-for-champions.com) These simple practices may help some one who has moderate anxiety or communication apprehension when speaking in front of a group. However, those who suffer from more severe communication apprehension may benefit from professional treatment. Although there are many self-help books available about communication apprehension, evidenc!

Communication apprehension is very hard to detect. Since it is a common fear among Americans, it is hard to distinguish between a normal nervous reaction and actually suffering from communication apprehension. This does not only affect the person as a communicator it also affects them psychologically. People who suffer from CA tend to have other problems that go hand in hand. People suffering from CA tend to be rejected by people. They are interpreted to be shy or not interested in the subject and therefore begin receiving negative feedback. People associate them as mediocre, lazy, and unwilling to put effort into work. As you can see from the previous description, this affects the individual’s self-esteem. All the individual has are memories of being rejected and unwanted. No one ever explains to them that they might be suffering from a common disorder so in their eyes, they are the only ones with the problem and no one seems to understand it. This eventually evolves into a m!

The last fear to understand is unfamiliar event fear. This fear is acquired when a person is continuously denied the opportunity to speak in social situations by a much more experienced speaker. This can be seen in classrooms all over the country. Many times a student will be overlooked by his or her group because the leader does all the talking. This creates an unfamiliar situation when this student is chosen to lead a future group. The fear arises because they are totally unfamiliar with this situation. They become shy and unwilling to speak up because the entire experience of speaking in this situation is entirely new to them. This is a fear that many college students and high school students suffer from. This fear can also be triggered when faced with a situation in which a parent was over-

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