Presenting your ideas clearly and speaking in front of people is an extremely important skill to have in life.

    However, about 10 percent of the world is genuinely terrified of public speaking and 80% is uncomfortable with doing so, according to forbes.com. Being afraid of public speaking is very common and it is referred to as glossophobia.

    Some people just feel slightly uncomfortable and nervous before public speaking while others may experience intense fear and anxiety. This can greatly affect one’s ability to present their ideas clearly and to get their point across successfully and efficiently to a group of people.

    “I’m afraid of public speaking because I don’t want people to judge me by the things I say when I present,” junior Jenna Engberts stated.

    So, why are most people so afraid of speaking in front of others? Some have anxiety and others are just simply not prepared so they tend to stress more. Either way, there are many things that contribute to this fear.

     There is also another very important reason that some people are afraid of public speaking, known as imaginary audience syndrome.

     Imaginary audience syndrome according to the American Psychological Association is the belief of someone that others are constantly focusing on him or her dissecting their appearance and everything about them which is in fact not the case.

     Many adolescents suffer from imaginary audience syndrome which affects them heavily when trying to speak in public.

     “I just get nervous and I don’t like having everyone’s attention on me,” junior Ethan Valente stated.

     Overall being afraid to speak in public is an extremely common phobia that many people suffer from. Having enough courage to speak in public is very important in obtaining success throughout your life.