It seems the UK is a nation of shrinking violets as almost one in two Brits claim to be more scared of speaking in public or making presentations then they are of death.
In comparison, one in four claimed they were scared of dying (28%) and spiders (24%) and one in three (34%) scared of heights. Whilst only one in six (16%) claimed that the idea of losing their job was a cause of fear, one in twenty British adults (4%) still claim to be afraid of the dark.
The research, conducted on behalf of interactive technology distributor, Promethean AV Distribution, and presentation coaching leaders, The Confident Club, has found that despite almost half of the UK’s adult population (48%) making presentations to large audiences or speaking in public as part of their working life, 42% consider it to be one of their biggest fears.
Commenting on the findings, Steve McDermott, international business speaker and presentation coach, said that he was not surprised to hear that making presentations was one of the UK’s biggest fears despite so many respondents claiming to do so as part of their job.
Mr McDermott said: “The majority of people tend to panic when faced with the prospect of making a presentation to a large audience. Many over-rely on presentation software, archaic equipment and bullet point slides and fail to engage with their audience. This makes it much harder to retain their attention and ensure they are taking in the information you want them to. The problem stems from people believing they have to be perfect. No one is perfect and giving yourself permission to not be perfect, even embracing the mistakes you make, is part of understanding what makes a good presentation.”
“Our research also showed that one in three Brits (34%) believe they will significantly improve their career prospects by improving their presentation technique. This is something we believe is easily done with the right coaching and intelligent use of presentations technology.”
The research was conducted in February 2005 by YouGov using a UK representative sample of 2,000 adults.
| Top UK fears: | Percentage (%) of UK public to list in their top three fears: |
| Speaking in public | 42 |
| Heights | 34 |
| Death | 28 |
| Spiders | 24 |
| Confined spaces | 21 |
| Unemployment | 16 |
| Flying | 8 |
| The dark | 4 |
| Parenthood | 4 |
| None of these | 11 |
Brits fear making presentations more than dying
It seems the UK is a nation of shrinking violets as almost one in two Brits claim to be more scared of speaking in public or making presentations then they are of death.
- In comparison, one in four claimed they were scared of dying (28%) and spiders (24%).
- One in three (34%) scared of heights.
- Only one in six (16%) claimed that the idea of losing their job was a cause of fear.
- One in twenty British adults (4%) still claim to be afraid of the dark.
- One in two UK adults (48%) make presentations as part of their working life.
- One in three (34%) believe honing their presentation skills would enhance their career prospects.
The research was conducted in February 2005 by YouGov using a UK representative sample of 2,000 adults on behalf of Promethean AV Distribution, a leading distributor of interactive presentation solutions, and presentation coaching leaders, The Confident Club.
