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Speeko speaker1/9/2024 This was a very recent experience and I was involved in two sessions of the conference. I felt more pressure and anxiety than usual because of the setting and compensation. I was invited to speak at my first national conference (also the first time I would receive an honorarium for speaking), and I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I have been doing this with writing but can reach a different audience with public speaking. I now have a desire to reach patients outside of my office and disseminate mental health information and reduce stigma on a broader scale. I love my job but have practiced at the same facility since residency, and seeing many of the same patients, for over a decade. I have turned down some local speaking opportunities and TV and radio appearances because I feared I would freeze. I do an adequate job because I am presenting quality information, but my presentation has not been quality. I have stumbled over words or lost my place. I worry leading up to the event, sweat and have upset stomach before, and my voice shakes during. I have given lectures to medical students, nurses, and therapists spoken at community events, and given a grand rounds – because I had to. Every time, I was petrified. My fear of singing, dancing, and speaking in public has continued since then. I don’t like large crowds and prefer communication by text or email instead of by phone (that might also be part of my introvert nature.) I often turn down or cancel social engagements, even if they could lead to friendships or networking opportunities. I remember hearing my voice say “I forgot the words” echoing into the microphone, then hearing people snickering. I recall having stage fright during adolescence when I forgot the words of part of my solo verse during a youth choir performance at church. One of my feared situations is public speaking or glossophobia. Here’s an abridged version of the DSM-5 criteria for social anxiety disorder for those who aren’t familiar with the symptoms: a persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she will act in a way or show anxiety symptoms that will be embarrassing and humiliating exposure to the feared situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a panic attack the person recognizes that this fear is unreasonable or excessive the feared situations are avoided or else are endured with intense anxiety and distress the avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situations interferes significantly with the person's normal routine, occupational or academic functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia. I finally decided that this year I would no longer allow my social anxiety to stifle me. However, I am one of the seven percent of American adults with social anxiety disorder and it has stalled my progress. I would like to be able to do this as well. Some physicians have been able to expand their careers by becoming professional public speakers. Physicians are expected to be leaders and capable of disseminating medical information to their patients and the public. Along with this expectation comes public speaking such as lectures to medical students and residents, grand rounds, and community education events. Op-Med is a collection of original articles contributed by Doximity members.
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