The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook
166attention, eating and drinking in public, writing in front of others, job interviews, being 
in public, and talking to people in authority. In addition to the suggestions provided 
here, there is space in each section for you to record additional ideas for practices that 
might be relevant to your own social and performance anxiety. 
At ﬁrst, many of the items suggested in this section may seem overwhelming. 
However, as suggested in chapter 7, you should begin with challenging but manageable 
practices. Over time, you will become more comfortable and most likely you will be able 
to try some of the more difﬁcult practices. In addition, some of these practices may seem 
very easy to you. If you have no trouble with a particular type of social or performance 
situation, there is no need to practice confronting it. Instead, focus on the situations that 
are anxiety-provoking for you.
Practices Involving Public Speaking
To overcome a fear of speaking in front of others, it is helpful to take advantage of 
opportunities that come up during the course of your job or other activities in your day-
to-day life. If public speaking opportunities don’t normally arise in your life, there are 
many ways of creating these situations. Some of these include the following:
UÊSpeak up in meetings at work . For example, share your opinions about 
issues being discussed. Ask and answer questions. If the opportunity to 
make a brief presentation arises, take advantage of it.
UÊOffer to give a presentation at work or in another situation . For example, 
if you belong to a book club or reading group, offer to present a summary 
of the book that your group is reading. If you have some special expertise,