Schools for Public Speaking Phobics

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<p>A lot of people complain about having stage fright. And those people worry about having to give presentations about college. But I don't just have stage fright; I have stage terror. For instance, the last time I had to give a speech was about a year ago. When people with stage fright hear they have to give a speech, they get nervous. I, on the other hand, became SEVERELY depressed. For days leading up to the speech, I could barely get out of bed. I couldn't eat. I would come home from school, go to my room, and just lay in bed. I couldn't even give the speech when the day came. I became so terrified that I couldn't even remember how to speak. It took another week for me to finally be able to get through the presentation. Oh, by the way, the speech was only one minute long. And I could barely get through it. That was the last speech I ever gave. I've been assigned many more presentations, but I simply refused to do them.</p>

<p>People with stage fright can simply practice their speeches to become more confident. Many become much less nervous once they start talking and become relieved when it's all over. I'm so terrified of speeches that I can't even practice a speech in a room by myself. And if I manage to actually get through a speech, there's no wave of relief. I continue panicking for hours afterwards. Thinking about presentations I've done even YEARS later will cause me to become extremely nervous. Getting treatment isn't an option either. I've tried everything.</p>

<p>So here's my question: Is college even an option for me? Is there a college that will accommodate me? Giving a speech, even just one on one with a teacher, is impossible for me. I would really like to avoid online college and community colleges. Additionally, I'm a very bright student and get perfect grades.</p>

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<p>Sorry to hear of it. How did it work when you tried medication? Did you try all the types? Sounds like you need a new doctor. I would certainly try to alleviate this problem rather than go to online college. But if that turns out to be your only alternative, then make sure it is regionally accredited and not for profit, at least. I don’t know why you think you are an expert on people with stage fright, but what you describe certainly didn’t fit me!</p>

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<p>You have severe anxiety. Since it is preventing you from doing things you want to do, it is worth talking to a psychiatrist about medication. My DD has anxiety and the medication is helping her so much.</p>

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<p>1° talk to a psychiatrist, there have to be medicines.
2° Attend a very large university. Your first two years, you’ll be in huge lecture halls where no one will expect you to speak, ever, in fact no one will know whether you’re there or not. After two years you’ll be in smaller classes and you may be called upon, but you can choose your classes strategically for the amount of (lack thereof) or complete absence of presentations. The choices range from ASU to UMN-Twin Cities to UCF.
You could even try for the large Canadian universities, like McGill, UToronto, or others, where you wouldn’t be expected to do presentations in most cases.
3°Obviously, apply to colleges that don’t have a public speaking/speech requirement.</p>

<p>What’s in-state for you?</p>