Finding Your Humor

Do you suffer from glossophobia? If so, you might experience symptoms such as a dry mouth, trembling hands, rapid heart rate, nausea, and a profound sense of panic when standing in front of a large or small group of people. 

Glossophobia is the medical term for the fear of public speaking. Glosso is the Greek word for tongue and of course phobia means fear. 

Depending on the sources you read, 25%-75% of the population is afraid to stand up in front of a room where people expect them to speak. 

Just thinking about standing in front of family, friends, strangers, or co-workers and actually having their attention on you may be enough to keep you from speaking in public. 

Another thought that may cross your mind when thinking about public speaking is why my husband adopted golf as a hobby and not public speaking; “Why would I put myself through such pain and agony when I don’t have to?” 

Granted, public speaking is not for everyone, but I’ve discovered that it is for me. 

On July 1, 2022, I joined Toastmasters, a public speaking club. After attending just one meeting, I decided, “This club is for me.” So, without knowing 100% of what I was getting myself into, as is par for most of the choices I make, I paid my dues and jumped in with both feet. 

And, I’m still there. Why? One of the reasons I’m still there is because speaking in front of an audience has helped me to discover my sense of humor. 

When I started out in Toastmasters, I did not intend to find my sense of humor. My goal for joining was to be able to talk about my book, A Heart’s Journey to Forgiveness. Unknown writers, such as myself, have to promote and market themselves. Joining Toastmasters seemed like the best avenue for me to practice speaking about my book in front of a group. 

But my topic; suicide, forgiveness, and dealing with trauma, is not in and of itself anything to laugh about. Yet, the more I speak about my topic, the more comfortable and relaxed I become. The more comfortable and relaxed I become, the more I can connect emotionally with my audience. The more I connect emotionally with my audience the more I sense those rare moments where I can insert a little humor. It might be an expression on my face, a non-verbal sound, or a physically exaggerated expression with my body.

I find that a tiny bit of humor puts me and everyone else at ease. 

Why Bother?

Why bother finding your humor? The practice of public speaking might help you to find your humor. And once you find it, you’ll want to use it to its fullest advantage no matter your topic.  A little dab of humor helps to put everyone at ease.