The science of speaking up Speaking up poses such a problem for people because it involves something called “social threat.” We've all felt it at one time or another — those feelings of unease, anxiousness, or fear that take over in stressful social situations.
Dysarthria means difficulty speaking. It can be caused by brain damage or by brain changes occurring in some conditions affecting the nervous system, or related to ageing. It can affect people of all ages.
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or to relatives they do not see very often. It usually starts during childhood and, if left untreated, can persist into adulthood.
People may be too introverted or shy to speak up in a large group setting. They may need some time to process their thoughts before being able to articulate them clearly. Or, they may not want to put themselves in the spotlight by sharing their opinion first.
From one point of view, not speaking your mind may lead to suppressing emotions, which in itself can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. This could result in nightmares, anxiety, low self-esteem or even depression. Suppressing emotions can even change the way we think.
Introverts struggle because they're often more introspective than extraverts. This means that introverts usually take the time to think before they speak. They also tend to want all the information before making decisions – steering away from risk.
Employees withhold voice because they think it will not be heard or fear it may backfire by embarrassing their managers or damaging their own reputations.
In some cases, anxiety can affect one's ability to speak clearly and concisely when interacting with others, causing speech to be slower or faster than normal, and in some cases, speech can become jumbled or slurred.
Understand that silence is often interpreted as acceptance.
You may withhold because you don't want to start an argument, but your lack of opinions will likely be seen as approval of what was said. Get the courage to speak up by asking yourself if you would want someone to allow what is being said to be said about you.
Make it a dialogue
Be open to discussion rather than shutting the conversation down immediately if you don't agree. Notice what you do in the conversation that allows others to open up, and equally what you do that shuts them down.
Glossophobia refers to a strong fear of public speaking.
Social anxiety and fear of public speaking are two types of anxiety that make it difficult to speak in public. But those with all forms of anxiety may also find that they have difficulty finding words as a result of racing thoughts, distractions, fear of being judged, and more.
Speaking up can be personally beneficial. It can make you feel truer to yourself , give you a sense of dignity, and help to build your self-confidence . You can demonstrate your commitment to, investment in, and support for your organization, and you can even inspire quieter colleagues to speak up next time, too.
If you don't feel the leader or team is trustworthy, you won't be willing to be vulnerable and put yourself at risk. Supportive and trusting relationships promote psychological safety, whereas lack of respect makes people feel judged or inferior, resulting in them keeping their opinions to themselves.
“The research and data are clear that when you beat employees with a stick — including yelling at them — it's humiliating for them, decreases their self-esteem, and puts them in a state of fear and anger.” And being the “bad boss” does nothing to inspire lasting change.
Being an introvert is often considered weak. They aren't quite as good as the extroverts, who just seem to breeze through life. But that's not true, there is nothing wrong with being an introvert. The main problem is with society, which doesn't see it in the same way.
As introverts are thinking, they reach back into long-term memory to locate information. An introvert will often compare old and new experiences when making a decision, which slows the processing down but leads to carefully thought-out decisions.
There's a common misconception that introverts aren't social. In fact, introverts can be just as social as extroverts. The difference between the two is that introverts lose energy when they're around people and recharge by spending time alone, while extroverts gain energy by spending time with other people.