Conquering Speaking Fears: Overcoming the Human Condition

Name Institutional Affiliations Date Chapter 3: Conquer Speaking Fears To what extent is speech apprehension part of the human condition? How much is it related to our sense of guilt and shame? Fear is a burden for many speakers as it adversely affects their self-esteem leading to speech apprehension. According to Schultze (2020), speech apprehension is a natural feeling that arouses nervousness in speakers, negatively impacting their preparedness to present a speech. Fortunately, when a speaker admits fear to others, it no longer affects them deeply. Citing an example from the text, Elie Wiesel holocaust survivor, admitted his fears by acknowledging them, writing about them, and kept moving despite the noted fear, thus enjoying public speaking. While arguing speech apprehension from a Christian perception, Schultze (2020) confirmed that fears of speaking are as natural as Adam and Eve hiding in the garden. Fear arouses guilt and shame, as expressed through Adam and Eve's hiding for fear of God's wrath upon ignoring his commands. However, if only they could overcome such fears and speak out about their ill deeds, then attain forgiveness that would relieve their shame and guilt. Speech apprehension remains part of the human condition because it exposes the speaker to the spectator's judgments. Fear affects self-esteem as the speaker keeps being