Glossophobia – or the fear of public speaking – is said to be the most common phobia experienced by a large share of the world’s population. Sampath Bank’s Manager of Transaction Banking Bhathiya Hettiarachchi attributes this fear to two factors: what we think of ourselves and others’ opinions.

In a recent LMDtv interview, the distinguished toastmaster explained: “If you’re given an opportunity to speak, what you think of yourself matters. If you start telling yourself negative things like you’re not good at it, you don’t have experience, or you might be criticised or judged, then you’ll feel threatened.”

He also pointed out that if you start thinking negatively about the opinions of others and the outcome of your speech, you’ll be in a negative frame of mind.

“Having a negative attitude towards public speaking is the main reason that people fear it,” Hettiarachchi asserted, adding that while some level of fear and stress is needed to prepare yourself, managing this with a positive attitude is important.

He said: “I don’t consider public speaking anxiety a chronic disease. It is something you can overcome with proper practice and training; it’s a skill you can learn, develop and improve, provided you put your heart and soul into it.”

The dynamics of public speaking are changing with the digitalisation of how we work and live with Hettiarachchi elaborating that “modern public speaking is about talking to virtual audiences, which poses a challenge to traditional public speakers who are called to unlearn and relearn skills related to digital platforms – and apply them to become effective.”

Digital platforms offer many advantages and challenges, he noted: “You can connect with diverse audiences irrespective of geographical barriers; but the problem is that you don’t see them physically and there’s no emotional connection, engagement, eye contact or feedback.”

Driving engagement is crucial in virtual public speaking. “We need to incorporate polls, gamification, break­out rooms and activities. And we need to engage with the audience by asking questions, and adopting a more conversational and storytelling approach,” he explained

Hettiarachchi believes that while Sri Lankans are good at public speaking, they’re also a “little shy and backward.”

He observed: “When speaking to a Sri Lankan audience, you seldom find people asking questions. This is due to many reasons including our cultural background. Ours is a high power distance culture – we’re risk averse, we consider mistakes to be shameful instead of learning opportunities, and we like to stay in our comfort zones and seek acceptance rather than voice opinions.”

“There are a lot of people who possess good public speaking skills but we don’t have platforms to showcase their talents and develop skills. We don’t have a system to groom them,” he lamented, adding that public speaking should be included in school curricula so that children have an opportunity to learn it.

A lack of good public speaking skills also creates a mismatch at the corporate level. “There is a saying that knowledge is power but if you misinterpret this statement, you’re in real trouble,” he noted.

Hettiarachchi elaborated: “Having knowledge without enabling traits such as public speaking, interpersonal rela­tions and leadership skills limits your potential to generate value for a company.”

When you join a corporate, what matters is how you handle your team, deal with customers and drive others towards set goals. You cannot do that by simply possessing knowledge, Hettiarachchi asserted.

Furthermore, he stressed that we must never forget that the most important aspect of achieving success is not our knowledge but the opportunities we get.

“So whenever you get a public speaking opportunity, take it positively and get the best out of it, so that you’ll be able to thrive in your personal and professional life,” he concluded.