55. “Ya’ Either Got It or Ya’ Ain’t”: The Fear of Public Speaking Is Universal

One of the most commonly held misconceptions about public speaking is that good speakers are born that way—meaning, in the lyrics of a song from Stephen Sondheim’s classic Broadway musical, Gypsy, that “Ya’ either got it, or ya’ ain’t.”^F55.1 If any speaker were to accept this false belief, he or she would never be able to change—and presentation coaches would be out of business.

I’m pleased to report that the presentation trade is alive and well, primarily because of the pervasiveness of one of the most common maladies known to humankind: the fear of public speaking. Underlying that fear is another fear: the fear of failure. After all, public speeches and presentations are high-profile events in which the outcome hangs in the balance of success or failure in front of a mission-critical audience. All presenters, whether they are political candidates seeking votes or businesspersons seeking to raise capital or sell a product, face this pivotal juncture. But professional performers also face it because their very livelihood depends on their ability to hold audiences spellbound.

Actor Sir Laurence Olivier, singer Carly Simon, and pianist Glenn Gould have all acknowledged their extreme stage fright. That celebrated list was lengthened by Terry Teachout, the theater critic of the Wall Street Journal. In an article on the release of a book about jazz great Benny Goodman’s famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, Mr. Teachout quoted Mr. Goodman’s daughter, who wrote that her father was “always fearful of losing the ability, reputation, and money that he’d gained.”^F55.2

Mr. Teachout went on to cite the apprehensions of choreographer Jerome Robbins and actor–director Orson Wells. Mr. Robbins “left behind a journal in which he set down on numerous occasions his belief that the world would someday realize that ‘I’m not talented.’” And Mr. Wells once said, “We need encouragement a lot more than we admit, even to ourselves.”

Nevertheless, every one of these famous artists observed the classic Show Business axiom, “The show must go on.” In spite of their apprehensions, each of them suited up, and showed up, just as you must do. The next time you experience butterflies in your stomach, know that you are not alone; just make those butterflies fly in formation.