Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?

Maybe the Fear of Public Speaking Doesn't Sound So Bad After All

I recently came across an article about phobias. There definitely are a lot of them - but I have never read about hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.

You can see the article here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/10/nphobia110.xml

Now we can get completely overwhelmed (perhaps even phobic) about the number of fears that are out there. Alternatively, we can draw some comfort from them. After all…

If everyone is afraid of public speaking then we must all be among good company.
Overcoming your fear of public speaking makes sense because it will give you a skill that most people don’t have.
If the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia then it is also most likely the most overcome phobia. More people are dealing with this phobia than any other as well. You have more people out there with whom you can share ideas and thoughts about it.

The article also points out that people do overcome phobias. The last point is definitely good news. Phobias seem overwhelming to people (hey, that’s why they're phobias) – yet with the right help, we can conquer them.

You can start by deciding that you are going to move outside of your comfort zone. Start by taking a small controlled risk. Use the information that I have shared with you to compose and present a small speech. As I’ve said before, you don’t even have to let your audience know that it is a “planned speech.” It could be an introduction, a toast, or some other small action that allows you to set a goal and see some success.

Personally, I don’t have a clue how to overcome hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (ironically, the fear of long words), but I do know about overcoming the fear of public speaking – together, as a community, we can work together and conquer your fear.

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