“Studies show that peoples’ number one fear is public speaking,” explained Jerry Seinfeld, in one of his show’s stand-up bits, “death is the number two fear,” continued the comedian, effectively setting us up for the punchline. “That means that more people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” For some reason this short bit has always stuck with me; personally, public speaking is not my favourite thing, but I don’t run in fear from the duty, either. That’s not true of everybody, though, and I certainly know people who would do anything to get out of a public speaking gig.
Naturally, those same fears or anxiety also show up in our children, and for some students who have a speech or presentation to give in the classroom experience intense anxiety. After participating in a Your Voice panel discussion on the topic, Cheryl Jackson learned first hand from her daughter what childhood anxiety can look like, as her daughter meticulously prepared for a speech on toxic stress. Her daughter’s speech was a three minute affair, and she spent days memorizing the whole thing. Naturally, as something of an expert on the topic, Cheryl offered some advice to help her daughter, but when the time came to give the speech the anxiety was still intense.
None of this is out of the ordinary, but it’s important to try to nip that anxiety in the bud. It’s also great that children get the opportunity in school to practice things like public speaking, to try to alleviate that anxiety through experience.
What causes anxiety in your children or students? What strategies have you used to relieve the anxiety?
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