Public speaking is a common act. Everyone might do it at some point, from a young student asked to read out loud at his or her school to a white-collar professional who needs clients to see value in a given product or service. However, glossophobia (the fear of public speaking) is likewise commonplace, with a 2017 Psychology Today article claiming it affects 25 per cent of human beings.
Other sources like Health Central estimate up to 75 per cent of the population deals with some kind of phobia or strong aversion to speaking in front of a crowd.
It isn't difficult to picture why that might be the case. Your mistakes appear amplified when all eyes are on you, and the audience—whoever they are—might not love what you say or how you said it. A lot of folks can handle tiring days of manual labour, brain-busting academic pursuits or gutsy jaunts down wicked backcountry ski runs, yet give them a chance to talk before others and they shy away.
Rebecca Mason and Ira Pettle, who co-run Laugh Out LIVE, want to help people overcome this fear. That's why they've partnered with the Whistler Chamber to facilitate a new workshop series: "Public Speaking & Presentation – A Playful Approach for Professionals."
"We have run a public-speaking workshop before, and it was a success. We got a ton of incredible reviews, and it was an avenue for people that aren't necessarily drawn to improv or the performing arts to access Laugh Out LIVE workshops," Mason says. "We connected with the Chamber who heard about our workshop, and they were interested in us running it again for [their present and future] members."
Some of you reading this article might have experience with formal public speaking programs like Toastmasters International. Laugh Out LIVE takes a very different approach in comparison: using the fundamentals of improv comedy to help registrants learn to think on their feet and trust themselves in front of people amidst scripted and unscripted scenarios.
Mason and Pettle both feel everyone has the ability to participate in these exercises, and their goal is to make public speaking fun.
Laugh Out LIVE's usual comedy classes run the gamut from improv to stand-up, and typically attract individuals with some kind of desire to try performing on stage. The upcoming Chamber workshop welcomes that demographic, but is equally aimed at adults in other fields (such as office jobs) who need to address clients, customers and members of their team.
"This workshop is designed for people in the business community, but it's also very much applicable to anybody that is looking to boost their self-confidence," elaborates Pettle. "So, introverts, shy people just wanting to break out of their shells, this course will be incredible for them as well. This is something I've learned now, facilitating workshops for over 20 years: the hardest part is actually signing up and showing up on the first day.
"If you can get past that first stopping point, the course is a breeze. Really what we do is … we help remove the blocks that you've put in front of what's already there, and give you access again to the part of you that wants to speak."
Mason agrees, while acknowledging deep-seated fears and phobias don't necessarily go away. Instead, the key goal of "Public Speaking and Presentation" is to help people manage how they relate to such fears in a safe, uplifting and risk-free environment.
The workshop runs each Wednesday night from May 21 to June 18, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Whistler Chamber Boardroom. Members will pay $475 for the series, while non-members are charged $600. More details are available at business.whistlerchamber.com/events/details/public-speaking-presentation-a-playful-approach-for-professionals-2819?range=365.
