Imagine this…
You are sitting in the audience as part of a live studio recording for a television talk show.
Leading the panel is one of your favourite hosts.
He’s why you came today.
The cameras are rolling. The lights are bright, and the air is studio-sterile. The debate among the guests is interesting and light-hearted for now. The audience is in high spirits, laughing; engaged.
You feel a sharp nudge in your right side. It’s a gun. The man to your side tells you to get on the mic, live on TV, and declare your love for picking your nose and eating the boogers, or he’ll shoot you and the panellists.
Would you be nervous?
Would you fear criticism; public ridicule; rejection at this point?
Of course you would.
It is normal to fear criticism for things that are obviously socially unacceptable.
The thing is, for some of us, we experience anxiety in perfectly normal situations.
Nervous around other people.
Anxious to call someone up or ask for a raise.
Worried about a presentation.
Hesitant to ask someone out or strike up a conversation with a stranger.
