You are about to give a big speech. The stakes are a little higher this time. Its not just your boss in the audience, but your bosss boss and a lot of big clients. The next thing you know your mouth is going dry and your palms are getting wet. Why? Whats going on? Obviously you are getting nervous, but why are you experiencing these particular responses? Its simple; you are afraid of being eaten by a brontosaurus. What? According to M.F Fensholt in her new book The Francis Effect: The Real Reason You Hate Public Speaking and How To Get Over It (Oakmont Press), humans suffer from the basic flight or fright syndrome when they are about to give a speech. Chances are youve heard that before; Ive certainly told people that for years. But Fensholt digs deeper than Ive ever seen anyone go before. Her theory is that human beings are programmed biologically to avoid being singled out from the herd. Because if you are away from the crowd and spotted in the open plain, then it is easy for lions, tigers and bears to literally come eat you. So evolutionary forces have programmed us biologically to avoid standing out from the crowd. Well, what could be a more dramatic way to stand out from the crowd than to literally stand up in front an audience, have a spotlight on us, and then do things to attract attention from everyone in the room? Heres where Fensholt gets interesting. It turns out that humans, chimps and other animals all sweat from their hands and feet during times of stress. The theory is that if you are running for your life to avoid being eaten, having a little moisture come out of your hands will make it easier to grab vines and pull your way to safety. Having moisture come out of your feet makes it easier to have traction if you are running in sand. Think of it this way, if you are having trouble turning the page of a book, you might put you finger in your mouth to lightly moisten the finger. Now, you can turn the page more easily. Your mouth goes dry when you are frightened and you are planning your flight because your body concludes that proper digestion is a low priority at the moment. Survival is all that matters, so your body is sending its fluids to your hands and legs. Instead of letting your brain function properly, your body is sending adrenaline to your legs and arms to help you run away faster. This makes a great deal of sense when you realize that you cant reason with a hungry mountain lion, but if he cant catch you, youll live to experience another day. Fensholts point, and I agree, is that humans must realize that it is perfectly normal to experience fear and physical signs of distress about public speaking because we are biologically programmed that way as a tool of evolution. This insight is quite liberating, if you believe that most fears are fear of the unknown. Now that you know what is causing your fear, it is much easier to conquer it. For example, if you know that your little brother is waiting on the other side of the door to pop out, shout boo and scare you, its harder to be scared, even if you know hes scared you that way in the past. Since public speakers are never literally eaten by audience members these days, Fensholts Francis Effect insights can help any speaker from nervous beginner to seasoned professional realize that yes, your audience might be a pack of hungry lions but if you know what to expect then you'll be able to tame the savage beasts with no problems. |
