public speaking (793 hits)
Category: NoneRating: -0.2 on 59 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by shandythedog (View user info) at 2008-02-25 13:02:07 EST
Public speaking: why is it that speaking in front of our fellow humans - a fundamental part of any real democracy - is most people's greatest fear? Why is it that we feel scared to stand up in front of other people and do that most natural thing, speak?
Research this. What is the universal history of public speaking?
Produce a book, not too long and with nice pictures: history of public speaking since the dawn of time, across all cultures and geographies.
Eg: did the coconut heads fear standing before the tribe to speak?
Theorem: fear of public speaking is fear of failure and humiliation, of the SELF failing. In this sense, the focus of public speaking is not actually on WHAT is being communicated, it is on WHO is communicating it
Perhaps if the focus was more on the actual subject matter, things would be OK.
(Nb: attend toastmasters, become THE WORLD'S GREATEST PUBLIC SPEAKER, ACCESS PINK CUNT CITY, ETC)
User Reviews
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2008-02-26 02:08:29 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
No Comment
Submitted by 8track (user info) at 2008-02-26 00:50:08 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by Falafel (user info) at 2008-02-25 19:57:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Ltap (user info) at 2008-02-25 19:01:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Public speaking: why is it that speaking in front of our fellow humans - a fundamental part of any real democracy - is most people's greatest fear? Why is it that we feel scared to stand up in front of other people and do that most natural thing, speak?
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People aren't afraid of public speaking per se. They're more afraid that they will make mistakes, and this will lessen peoples' opinion of them, it all boils down to finding a mate :P
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Sometimes a cock is just a cigar?
I fear my comments are riddled with Freudian tits.
Submitted by Ltap (user info) at 2008-02-25 19:01:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Public speaking: why is it that speaking in front of our fellow humans - a fundamental part of any real democracy - is most people's greatest fear? Why is it that we feel scared to stand up in front of other people and do that most natural thing, speak?
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People aren't afraid of public speaking per se. They're more afraid that they will make mistakes, and this will lessen peoples' opinion of them, it all boils down to finding a mate :P
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2008-02-25 15:33:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
my greatest fear is waking up in room filled with snakes and bugs and spiders a la 'The Craft' and 'Witches of Eastwick'
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:54:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
thanks
pinkies, gf
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:52:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I can relate. Here, have a tampon.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:50:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
i dunno, i'm feeling kind of bloated and unsexy
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:49:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Sorry muddy I'm wearing my bitch pants and my cunt shoes today. Let's make out and forget all about this unpleasantness.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:46:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
i got cramps in my baj
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:40:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
we got sick of telling each other we were fat and ugly, had slept with each others wives, fathered each others children, and capping it off with the ultimate 'your mom.'
we just take those as agreed to now and carry on without having to go through the formalities of vocalizing them here. or typing. whatever. you get the point.
do you need a shoulder to cry on, little princess, since you're having such a bad day? come, tell us what ails you...perhaps we can make fun of it enough that you'll begin to laugh? i do so like it when you are in good spirits, because then i get to laugh.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:39:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
no fighting, I'm a lover.
but I honestly don't understand the not 'understanding' of a fear.
I'm gonna go though...I'm having an off day.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:38:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Mud.. I chose "understand" instead of "get" to avoid some confusion with that.
By understand I mean "totally comprehend." I can KIND of "get" why people have fear, but it's kind of foreign to me, so I don't totally understand it.. I can empathize, but not completely... just mostly doing my best to imagine what it's like.
hope that helps
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:35:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Muddy apparently really wants a fight, preferably with a woman or a child. I guess he got bored with scourge.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:32:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Ax and Crystle
you don't 'understand' it?
or you don't buy into it?
surely the idea is understandable....some people are afraid to speak in public
i could run down definitions of each word if you like
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:30:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:06:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I actually don't understand the fear of public speaking.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:28:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Totally.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:26:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
one time?
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:25:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Precisely.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:25:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
hahaha.. not to mention the oldest profession?
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:24:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I know, I know. Act like a whore one time (OK, maybe a couple) and you're always a whore. It's the oldest story in the world.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:22:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
listen...if the idea behind a penis farm is to raise penises then shouldn't you be proud?
i was complimenting your ability to 'raise a penis' wink wink nudge nudge
jeez ya know...act like an asshole one time all of a sudden you're always an asshole!
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:21:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
OK I'll stop now. I'm having a bad day, is it obvious?
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:20:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Come back Muddy, I simply can't get enough of your fresh and not at all cheap jokes! PLEASE I BEG OF YOU
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:15:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
ya know
i just.....
*kicks the dirt and walks away*
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:13:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
go for the throat, jeannee! say 'YOUR MOM' and victory is yours!
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:13:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Two peanuts were walking down a dark alley.
One was assaulted.
GET IT!?
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:12:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
HIGH FIVE
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:12:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
OMG GOOD ONE
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:10:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:08:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
There's nowhere close to 15,000 penis farms in Georgia. There's 2, 300 tops
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at least you'll always have work
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:08:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
There's nowhere close to 15,000 penis farms in Georgia. There's 2, 300 tops.
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:08:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
peanuts i mean
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:07:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
bio-diesel rendered from used peanut oil from restaurant fryers, jeannee. first you can get a nice lardy american ass eating french fries, then drive around in your suv with the waste material.
IS THERE ANYTHING PENIS CAN'T DO?
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:05:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i think she meant to say 'penis'
and i'm sure you three broads could talk about THAT all day long.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:04:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
There are over 15,000 peanut farms in the state I live in. That's a little less than 100 per county. A lot of damn peanuts no matter how you look at it. Somebody needs to invent a car that runs on peanuts so Georgia can be the new Texas.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 14:01:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
depends on how you define "peanuts"
technically you could include the actual nut, and any products or by-products.
and then you have the comic strip,
and packing materials,
and head shapes...
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:58:09 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
That sure was some fine "public speaking" you posted yesterday, dipshit.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:55:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
There's only so much one can say about peanuts. I would give it 5 minutes tops before you have to start re-traversing ground that's already been covered.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:55:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I see what you're getting at.
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:54:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Also, conversation with a new person is a lot of work, the whole back and forth, trying to find something to talk about, etc... During public speaking you already have a pretty good idea of what to talk about.
Maybe I'd be okay one on one if someone said, "Corinne, you have to go meet Crystle, and you two have to talk about peanuts the whole time, okay?".
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:52:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
hahaha.. yeah, me too! you're starting to freak me out. At least your kid isn't the same age/gender as mine, or ...
oh crap, you're younger than me to.. maybe I've got a mini-me somewhere!?!?!?
I don't know if the world can handle it...
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:50:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
That's true, Crystle.
But I'm not sure what I'm worried about with meeting people one on one... I like myself well enough.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:48:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
me too, Corn..
It think its a dissociative thing, in that one on one people start to see and learn the "real" you, where standing in fron of a crowd it's just the "public" you.
(Or me, in this case)
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:35:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Weird thing though... I'm shy one on one, when I first meet people. I HATE meeting people one on one.
But if I have to get up in front of a strange group and talk, I'm fine.
What's that sbout?
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:33:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
i like it.
Submitted by corn_nugget (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:31:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I love public speaking.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:26:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
that's pretty insightful, scourge..
I also have no qualms about saying "I don't know, I'll find out" - it could be VERY closely tied...
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:24:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
noʎ ʞɔnɟ
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:23:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I used to hate public until I spent a year as an employment training coach, yakking in front of large groups on a daily basis. Now it's old hat.
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:22:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
well, i don't necessarily have a true 'fear' of doing it in any circumstance i guess. i just feel more comfortable doing it in the circumstances i described below.
as for the greater question of why such a fear exists...your theorem as presented above really hits on it i think.
this is something that can be looked at in the same way that the stereotypical man cannot ask for directions, because it showcases an example of his ignorance. you want the impression of yourself to be one which showcases you as confident, intelligent, etc. bravely charging forth into the world armed with all the necessary tools to make it yours.
the crowd just serves to magnify the ignorance and make it greater than it really is.
i learned early that saying 'i don't know' in response to a query is no horrible thing, but a lot of people think that it is. you just follow up that i don't know, with a 'but i'll find out'. confessing ignorance with a desire to learn is no big deal at all. showcasing your inability to do so, by trying to futz and fumble your way through a question with an obviously bullshit answer, is a much bigger mar on the publics perception of you.
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:18:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
don't confuse actors with leaders of men.
nor should you consider leaders of men to be great people.
TV Evangelists are leaders of men and they have an entirely bullshit product but they sell it and people buy it.
leaders of men are usually noticeable from early on in life. They are the ones that everyone gravitates towards on the playground...they are the vocal center of organizations and so on.
Submitted by FALLEN (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:14:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"Ms. Vito, does the defense's case hold water?"
"No, no it dosen't"
"Are you sure?"
sorry, I saw "My cousin, Vinny" over the weekend too.
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:13:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:10:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I think public speaking is an issue for those not destined for it. Leaders of men seem to be born with the ability to speak publicly or at the very least never develop a fear of it.
--
interesting point, which my book will look into it
i suspect this is false though
certainly lots of famous actors get very nervous before performing
and i can think of at least one famous public speaker (in england) who acatually overcame stuttering: geoffrey robinson
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:11:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
the subject matter thing also holds water
i guess what interests me is why there is any fear at all, in the first place
most people aren't afraid of the activity of speaking. eg speaking to your friends, speaking to the bus driver, the shop keeper etc
so why does speaking become frightening when you stand if front of a group
actually, perhaps standing in front of a group is the scary thing. with or without speaking
doing anyting in front of a group. acting, sport, etc.
but if so, why is that?
why is having a group of people's ATTENTION focused on you scary?
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:10:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
hmm... I dunno. Maybe I just missed that gene. I know plenty of americans that suffer from it. I just don't really think any one person is more valuable than any other person.. so a collective group of people isn't really that scary, they're all just people
Submitted by MudWhistle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:10:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I think public speaking is an issue for those not destined for it. Leaders of men seem to be born with the ability to speak publicly or at the very least never develop a fear of it.
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:08:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
because you don't suffer from it?
are you american?
i gather americans are more trained up in it, from an early age at school
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:07:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i think your theorem holds water.
i speak more easily before a group if i feel i hold more expertise on the subject. i do muddle through the other things pretty nicely as well, as i am a world class bullshitter...but the internal focus on fear of failure and fear of embarrasment is nil when it is on a subject i am very well versed in or when i am speaking in front of a group i am more comfortable with.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-02-25 13:06:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I actually don't understand the fear of public speaking.