The Plague of Public Speaking

 by Indie Stone

Like a lamb to a slaughter house, each pupil is forcefully dragged up to the front. Like a magnet to metal, each gruelling eye stares hungrily into your soul. Like a newborn baby to a microphone, we are forced to speak, but only a squeal comes out. How is this disgusting horror good for us? How is speaking to a group of children going to benefit anyone? 

Public Speaking is a plague on all of us.

Inducing a large amount of stress, pain and insecurity, uttering a few words to a group of people places a heavy burden on our shoulders. What will others think of me? Do I look OK? Am I going red? Where have my words gone? At least for me, these are just some of the questions I have asked myself when speaking in the past. Let's take that time in Year 5 when I presented a speech on World War II to the whole year group: the sheer amount of nerves, pressure and apprehension that were filled inside my body was truly astonishing and unjustified. As soon as I nervously trudged up to that sinful stage, the plethora of gaping pupils sank into me, their stare never leaving my eyes. It was overwhelming, like bees swarming a face - hot and uncomfortable. As soon as I took a deep breath and my words finally came out, I thought to myself, 'Do children my age really need to be put under this much pressure?' This is true now, even at the ripe old age of 13. 

Public Speaking is a plague on all of us.

Rambling on about subjects that interest us, I don't have the faintest idea of why this is vaguely important. We could be learning how to write essays, score high marks in a science exam, or solve the solution to global warming, but instead, we are closed up here, talking about why I don't want to be speaking to you right now. And the chances are, you don't want to be listening to me speaking either. Isn't this just a lose-lose situation?

Alongside heights, spiders and death, Public Speaking is one of the most common phobias on the planet. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that public speaking anxiety, or glossophobia, affects about 73% of the population, which means that around 16 of you were frightened or intimidated by the idea of coming up to the front and speaking. In short, the underlying fear is judgement or negative evaluation by others. I'm sad to say but your fear was a classified disorder, according to Dr Michael DeGeorgia of Case Western University Hospitals. Nattering on to an audience "makes us vulnerable to rejection" he commented, a common reaction if your brain has a little freeze. Scarily, it is like this task we've been set is to make us judge each other and be available to lots of criticism. Do you want to be criticised and judged? Well, I don't want to be judged.

Public Speaking is a plague on all of us. 

From the moment the atrocious task of writing the speech was put upon you, all the way up to being dragged up to the front against your own will, appreciate this moment where I publicly address what you're all thinking. We could be learning how to build the next rocket to Mars, or solve world hunger, but instead with unwillingness and hate we inflict more damage on ourselves with each word I speak to you. 

Because Public Speaking is a plague on all of us.