Virtual Events As The Antidote To Glossophobia

We recently came across this arcane term: glossophia. In short, it means "fear of public speaking." Probably one of the most common phobias, it's estimated that it affects most people in some way at some time in their lives. Who in a business setting hasn't gone before a super large group for a presentation and not felt jittery?

In the realm of online events like live webcasts and interactive webinars, how do public speakers feel and respond to the sense of being in the virtual "spotlight" compared to being on-location to present to an audience? What is the level of speech anxiety while hovering over a speakerphone while presenting in a webinar? What is the level of anxiety while your video image is streamed in a live webcast? Anecdotally, and generally, we know that both of these virtual event examples, where speakers could be speaking to hundreds of people, are dramatically less stressful than in-person speaking engagments where there might be only a dozen people.

As we get ready to launch the EventSpan platform, the role of speaking in virtual events and the lessened self-consciousness and anxiety (for most) that go with it are interesting sidebars.