If the thought of standing up and speaking in front of a crowd is enough to send your body into a cold sweat, you’re likely one of the many people suffering from what is known as glossophobia - the fear of public speaking.
Although the ‘glossophobes’ amongst us might try and avoid ever addressing a crowd - it’s something most people will have to do at least once or twice in their life. So what’s the best way to overcome the fear?
“Practice as much as you can, practice by yourself, practice in front of the mirror,” says solicitor Clíodhna McHugh on the latest episode of The Women’s Podcast.
As a former winner of The Irish Times Debate, McHugh is no stranger to standing up and delivering a powerful speech. “I still get nervous before I speak in public. I think it’s normal … but the more you do it, the easier it gets,” she tells podcast presenter Róisín Ingle.
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Part of overcoming the fear is “getting used to the sound of your own voice,” says the Donegal woman. “You’re so used to hearing other people around you speaking all the time, it’s just a bit weird hearing yourself doing it”.
“The more you can kind of force yourself to do it … it does really make a difference”.
McHugh won the individual speaker prize at The Irish Times debate in 2024 and in this episode, she also looks ahead to the grand final of this year’s competition which is taking place on Friday the 27th February in Dublin City University.
“It’s a great debate. It’s quite different from other college style debating like British parliamentary debating. It’s much more focused on persuasion, eloquence, the style of speaking, the presentation of speaking, and of course, having a really strong argument,” she says.
In this conversation we also hear from this year’s debate convenor Ciara McLoughlinn, who won the team prize in 2024. She talks about the motion that the teams will be debating on Friday and some of the famous alumni who have competed through the years.
You can listen back to this episode in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
