Communication Anxiety
Communication anxiety can manifest in different ways. Some people may feel anxious about speaking in public, while others may struggle with interpersonal communication or even written communication. Some may experience physical symptoms, such as sweating, trembling, or blushing, while others may have negative thoughts, such as fear of failure or rejection.
In a nutshell, this anxiety may hinder your chances of success, or even stand in the way of your progress despite your knowledge, experience, and management capabilities.
Your mind is designed to protect you; so, if you suffer from communication anxiety, this means your mind believes that you are “in danger” while communicating or being exposed. Of course, all this process is subconscious. You might be thinking I don’t understand why, I feel ready, I have the skills, I know what I am doing, I have prepared so well for this presentation, I have the expertise, I know my material, I have the confidence! Yet, once you are in front of your manager or the board of directors or even with your peers, once you are there ready to speak in front of a small or large audience, you freeze, you are fearful, you experience physical symptoms of anxiety.
Once you experience communication anxiety symptoms, it becomes a “painful” experience, something you dread or try to avoid, and your mind will remember this and unfortunately it will give you the same anxiety feelings next time you need to be talking in public, to keep you away from this “pain”.
To cope with communication anxiety commonly known as fear of public speaking, you need, as a start and with the help of a therapist, to identify what triggers it, how & why it affects you.
Communication Anxiety
Communication anxiety can manifest in different ways. Some people may feel anxious about speaking in public, while others may struggle with interpersonal communication or even written communication. Some may experience physical symptoms, such as sweating, trembling, or blushing, while others may have negative thoughts, such as fear of failure or rejection.
In a nutshell, this anxiety may hinder your chances of success, or even stand in the way of your progress despite your knowledge, experience, and management capabilities.
Your mind is designed to protect you; so, if you suffer from communication anxiety, this means your mind believes that you are “in danger” while communicating or being exposed. Of course, all this process is subconscious. You might be thinking I don’t understand why, I feel ready, I have the skills, I know what I am doing, I have prepared so well for this presentation, I have the expertise, I know my material, I have the confidence! Yet, once you are in front of your manager or the board of directors or even with your peers, once you are there ready to speak in front of a small or large audience, you freeze, you are fearful, you experience physical symptoms of anxiety.
Once you experience communication anxiety symptoms, it becomes a “painful” experience, something you dread or try to avoid, and your mind will remember this and unfortunately it will give you the same anxiety feelings next time you need to be talking in public, to keep you away from this “pain”.
To cope with communication anxiety commonly known as fear of public speaking, you need, as a start and with the help of a therapist, to identify what triggers it, how & why it affects you.
