PREVI - psychology and virtual reality

What is Public Speaking Phobia?

Are you afraid of giving a speech, taking an oral exam, or making an oral presentation in front of a group of people? Have you missed promotion opportunities at work or obtaining better academic scores due to you fear of public speaking?

People with public speaking phobia experience great anxiety when they have to confront these situations. They use to think they are going to perform poorly and make a bad impression. They believe that the audience will notice how their shaking hands or their quivering voice. They also are afraid of being overwhelmed by an intense anxiety or being unarticulated.

It might be that while reading this site you identify yourself with the descriptions of the problem provided above. The Test questions inquire about the presence of some of its features. Although they do not substitute the assessment process necessary to establish a clinical diagnosis, they might be considered as a first approach and a preliminary screening of the problem.

If you also experience a significant distress, or any area of your daily life (leisure, work, school, family, etc.) has been affected by this problem, you might be suffering from public speaking phobia. However, remember: this is just a first approach to the assessment process needed before starting any treatment. If you think you might have this problem, seek professional advice so you can decide whether you want or not to receive treatment.

1. While you prepare a speech I am in a constant state of anxiety.

YES NO

2. When I speak in front of an audience, the thoughts get confused and mixed.

YES NO

3. I sweat and shake before I stand up to speak.

YES NO

4. I experience constant fear about forgetting what I am going to say.

YES NO

5. My posture seems forced and unnatural.

YES NO

6. I find it difficult to find the right words to express myself.

YES NO

PREVI has a specifically designed treatment program for public speaking phobia. The program includes an educational component that explains what happens when a person finds difficult public speaking situations. A second component is the exposure component based in the therapist-aided exposure to the feared situations. The person confronts in a systematic, structured, and progressive way each one of their feared situations. When the person feels confident and fearless in a particular situation, progress continues to the following one, until all of them are overcome.

Furthermore, PREVI's clinical and technological teams have designed a Virtual Reality treatment program that allows for the "virtual exposure" to several feared situations related to public speaking. These are computer-simulated environments the person can navigate confronting his/her fears more confidently, without leaving the therapist office, which ensures safety, control, and confidentiality.