Glossophobia

Raise your hand if you’re petrified of public speaking.

Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. The word glossophobia derives from the Greek glossa, meaning tongue, and phobos, fear or dread. Some people have this specific phobia, while others may also have broader social phobia or social anxiety disorder.
Statistically, the only two things that consistently challenge the fear of public speaking as humanity’s greatest fear are death and snakes. Recent studies, however, have shown that corruption is now also climbing the ranks. Regardless of which fear tops the list, public speaking is always, and presumably will always be, close to the number one position. So, relax if you’re among those afflicted with glossophobia; you’re certainly not alone in this world.

There’s something very interesting about glossophobia worth mentioning. It’s possible that the ultimate fear responsible for the phobia, itself, is but a mere shadow. While the initial fear is real, it is often much smaller than the scary thing we put a fancy medical term to.

Cognitive behavioral theory suggests public speaking fear is a type of social phobia. Researchers believe that a person, in part, creates their social phobia by inflating the consequences of their failure. In other words, we perceive public speaking to be more of a risk than it really is.

So many speakers I work with are more afraid of being afraid than of the actual speaking.
Do you know who in the Bible apparently had this fear? The one and only, Moses! It’s incredible whom God chooses to be His messengers. My hunch is that He chooses individuals who know their communication abilities pale in comparison to that of the Holy God of the Universe. Otherwise, an individual might be tempted to attribute success to their human abilities.

Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”
The Lord put Moses’ fears to rest by reminding him that the message itself wasn’t his. We ought to all remember such things when we are presented with an opportunity to share the Word with others. Oftentimes, such opportunities involve multiple people as our audience. The more eyes upon us, the more daunting it may seem. But, be encouraged, my friends, you are not alone. You have God the Holy Spirit with you always.

“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Under the most pressing circumstances, the Lord’s disciples are able to stand up to their fears when they depend wholly upon the grace of God. As Paul intimated, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). Understanding our weaknesses is paramount to doing God’s will. If we go so far as to prepare fine speeches and wax poetic about this or that, we have already missed the mark. Our job is to simply speak the truth. Eloquence has nothing to do with our success, regardless of what mere man tells us.

“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”
“Make up your minds not to prepare beforehand” (v14). Food for thought…when it comes to giving testimonies, preparation is a slippery slope. It’s true, we ought to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15); however, there’s a difference between reading/knowing Holy Scripture and worrying about what we’re going to say the next time we’re given a divine appointment to share the Good News with a crowd.

Relax. Let God do His job. He’s good at it. If He asks you to speak in public on His behalf, know that He’s already prepared you for success.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins