[Corey]

Most people, even people without SA, have some fear of public speaking. Usually with SA, it can be much, much worse and I've seen it happen.

With my SA, I'm afraid to interact with people at all. Take school, for instance - any time we've had to do a group assignment, I'm dead silent in whatever group I end up in because I'm trying to prevent any symptoms of a panic attack occurring and I just want to get it over with. I'll honestly start shaking or sweating a bit if I have to start talking with the group about anything.

However, I... don't have this problem with public speaking, aside from minor stage fright that anybody can get. In school, I've never had any problem giving presentations or speeches in my classes. In fact, I had a speech class last year that I loved, and actually received an award and got a top grade in the course.

Speaking of which, it's the same for awards where you need to go on stage to receive. Graduation was fine - I was more scared in my row of classmates than I was walking on stage to get my diploma.

I don't get it; I feel so backwards. I've seen people who are fine sitting by others, where in that situation I'm freaking out. But those same people, when they get in the spotlight, they look like they're going to have a seizure from their nervous wreck, while I have no problems doing a casual speech.

Is this normal?

 

[Sunshine009]

Yes, for some people. It looks like is that you are afraid of interaction, of emotional intimacy, relating to others. You don't fear judgment when you do not require a direct reaction from others because there is no give and take.

 

[supreme.mugwump]

I think 'normal' is a bad word. Maybe use 'typical'. I suppose it is not typical for people with SA to be OK with public speaking, but I reckon you should just count that as a blessing! You have fears about certain things, and public speaking is not one of them. Don't try to compare to other people with SA, or to what you think 'normal' should be. Anxiety affects everyone differently.

 

[Corey]

I know I should take it as a blessing, but I feel almost... guilty. I've heard stories from friends, and read a few on here about people being deathly afraid of making speeches, running out during the middle of a speech, etc. I just feel different in a negative way for some reason, like I wish I could help some of these people...

I don't know, it's hard to explain.

 

[bobthebuilder]

I am exactly the same way. In school when we had to do book reports or whatever, it never bothered me much. Wasnt exactly excited to do it, but it was no big deal. To make it more backwards, I normally try to think about what to say in a conversation, but with all public speaking ive done, i just winged it. I read over the material i was going to talk about but i never wrote anything down, never used notecards on stage when we were encouraged too. And i always did really well. I kept going for an appropriate amount of time, not alot of ums/stuttering, a little quiet but not too bad. Always got a near perfect grade, and always walked away thinking it sounded really good and intelligent. Its kinda like I go into a trance when im on stage, and my brain is on autopilot and knows exactly what to do.

 

[Tangent]

I know I should take it as a blessing, but I feel almost... guilty. I've heard stories from friends, and read a few on here about people being deathly afraid of making speeches, running out during the middle of a speech, etc. I just feel different in a negative way for some reason, like I wish I could help some of these people...

I am exactly like this! From a lot of what I have read, and from people's comments, it seems that a lot of my SA is worse than that of many people here. However there are brief moments or odd occasions when I can be more "extroverted" than even someone without SA, and this makes we feel quite guilty being on here when there are people who can't do this at all...it is so strange.

I am sometimes ok with public speaking, though often my voice will start to falter or I will get tremors or something. The really strange thing is...if I am giving a pre-prepared speech so a small group, I feel much worse than ad-libing it to a large one...which makes no sense considering how I normally am.

I think the impersonal nature of a large crowd makes the anxiety slightly less, in school I was forever offering to do the speaking in group presentations, because popular people without SA were too nervous to do it...yet I could do it fine, usually...despite having too much anxiety to actually make any friends, I could give a better presentation than a "normal" person.

More extensive reading of this board has revealed that many people seem to have such weird, inexplicable, almost contradictory things going on with their SA...it might be worse in a situation where logically it should be better, or vice versa, for example.

It is a strange disorder that does not seem to follow the normal rules of logic at all - at least, for many people, anyway.

 

[socially inept]

Most people, even people without SA, have some fear of public speaking. Usually with SA, it can be much, much worse and I've seen it happen.

With my SA, I'm afraid to interact with people at all. Take school, for instance - any time we've had to do a group assignment, I'm dead silent in whatever group I end up in because I'm trying to prevent any symptoms of a panic attack occurring and I just want to get it over with. I'll honestly start shaking or sweating a bit if I have to start talking with the group about anything.

However, I... don't have this problem with public speaking, aside from minor stage fright that anybody can get. In school, I've never had any problem giving presentations or speeches in my classes. In fact, I had a speech class last year that I loved, and actually received an award and got a top grade in the course.

Speaking of which, it's the same for awards where you need to go on stage to receive. Graduation was fine - I was more scared in my row of classmates than I was walking on stage to get my diploma.

I don't get it; I feel so backwards. I've seen people who are fine sitting by others, where in that situation I'm freaking out. But those same people, when they get in the spotlight, they look like they're going to have a seizure from their nervous wreck, while I have no problems doing a casual speech.

Is this normal?

its perfectly normal. some people have social prolems but are fine on stage. others have both social and stage problems. and then there si the people who arefine socially but have stage problems

it varys for individuals

there are a lot of socially anxious celebirties who are shrinkingviolets in real life but come alive on stage or on camera - michael jackson is one example

 

[Canadian Brotha]

You sometimes see examples of this in the entertainment industries where actors or musicians will perform impressively & passionately within their art but then when they are sat down to do an interview with Leno or whoever they are completely shy,reserved, & uncomfortable