18 Reasons Why People Are Afraid Of Public Speaking Matt Kramer Overcoming Fear , Public Speaking I know intimately the gut-wrenching, free-falling feeling of glossophobia (fear of public speaking) and I know many more who have dealt or currently deal with it now. Two words: it sucks! One of the most important things you can do when it comes to problem solving, is to IDENTIFY the problem. Many of the reasons we humans fear public speaking are universal and well-known; many others haven’t even been defined. I decided to compile a list of the most common fears people have of public speaking in order to help bring them out into the open. Some are in a league of their own but you’ll also notice that several of the fears listed below are mixtures of one or more of the others. See if you can relate to any of them. Let's get started: 1 . Being judged People form opinions of just about everyone they come into contact with....