from Munch, "The Scream," Wikipedia Commons
How many times have you heard or read the claim that the average person fears public speaking more than they fear death?
If you search online for “fear of public speaking,” you will not be likely to stumble upon articles from psychology journals in the first few pages of hits. This is what you will find — web sites that are providing advice or coaching on public speaking.
In such essays and speeches, it stars as an introductory strategy. The fear is often vaguely cited from hearsay, and often involves a misinterpretation of the usual survey methods and results.
When a speaker fails to back up specific claims about the “fear of public speaking,” it becomes a rhetorical cliche.
This article examines the potential benefits and harms of using it as an introductory cliche, and the benefits of investigating the research further. (more…)
