Collection 2: "In the Spotlight" by Glenn Murphy

This is because it’s basically a type of social phobia—a fear of being watched, judged, or sized up by other people (especially strangers, and especially large numbers of them).

I mean, if fear of the dark, heights, and dangerous animals helped keep our ancestors from being ambushed, what good is a fear of speaking to people?

If speaking is that useful, what is this fear trying to protect us from? Being booed and pelted with rotten vegetables if we do badly?

Throughout the animal world, and especially in primates (the group that includes humans, gorillas, and chimpanzees), staring at someone is a signal of fighting or aggression.

Now multiply that one staring pair of eyes by thirty, and you have some idea of why standing up to speak in front of a class can feel so unnerving.

Multiply it by 500 or 1,000, and you see why it takes a lot of confidence to be onstage in a packed theater.

The “fight-or-flight” system kicks in, making your heart rate increase, your breathing tight and rapid, your muscles tense, and your guts feel queasy (as blood is directed away from them).

Then, as you get more confident, you can work up to larger and larger groups, until before you know it you’re speaking to whole school assemblies, church congregations, or community groups!

Plus the act of concentrating on your lines or on the argument will help distract you from the many watching eyes. When you get really good at it, you might even forget the audience is there!

So if you’re one of the world’s many perform-o-phobes, don’t worry—the “treatment” for it may turn out to be the most fun you’ve ever had. The prescription looks like this: take a handful of guitar, acting, or dance lessons, rock a roomful of people with your mad new skills, and call me in the morning!