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Harrison Ford -

Household name Harrison Ford is well known for his fear of public speaking. He has described his feelings at having to speak in front of an audience as "a mixed bag of terror and anxiety."

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Harrison Ford -

The Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise star did not let that deter him from becoming a world-renowned actor, although he apparently still avoids talk shows where he can.

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Bruce Willis -

Bruce Willis is another actor who suffered from a stutter as a kid. Like Samuel L. Jackson, Willis found that acting helped him overcome his problem.

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Bruce Willis -

He joined the school drama club and found that acting on stage helped him not stutter. He went on to star in a number of major films, not least the Die Hard franchise (1988-2013).

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Nicole Kidman -

Just like Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman used to go out of her way to avoid speaking in public. In fact, sources would suggest that she has a phobia of being observed in general.

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Nicole Kidman -

The actress once told the Guardian, "I panic in front of all the cameras. My hands start shaking and I have trouble breathing." Clearly this is something the A-lister has to grapple with in her career.

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Sigmund Freud -

Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, who wrote about anxiety and the repression it caused, suffered himself from anxiety at the prospect of public speaking.

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Sigmund Freud -

Sources suggest that, like many others, Freud would go out of his way to avoid speaking in front of a group of people.

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Rowan Atkinson -

The 'Mr Bean' actor famously struggled with his speech for years. In fact, he made it part of his act and many of his characters suffer with the same.

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Rowan Atkinson -

Despite his phobia, Atkinson achieved fame and success on screen, although when he appears on talk shows he often seems nervous and ill at ease.

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Renée Zellweger -

Two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger has spoken publicly about how she used to go out of her way to avoid public speaking.

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Renée Zellweger -

Clearly practice made perfect for the actress—nowadays when required to give a speech she does so with an effortless composure.

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Mahatma Gandhi -

Gandhi's extreme fear of public speaking is well documented. It made his court career considerably more difficult; he apparently would suffer palpitations when in front of a crowd.

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Mahatma Gandhi -

According to one article in The Atlantic, on one occasion he stood up to give a speech in court and only managed one sentence before he stopped speaking and an assistance had to step in.

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Julia Roberts -

Julia Roberts is an award-winning actress who suffered with a stutter and fear of public speaking as a child. Her brother Eric, also an actor, had the same issue.

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Julia Roberts -

Julia Roberts used acting as a method to overcome her fears, and in 2001 she gave a confident speech after winning an Oscar for her role in 'Erin Brockovich' (2001).

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James Stewart -

Jimmy Stewart survived seven decades in show business despite his bumbling manner of speaking.

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James Stewart -

In fact, the hesitant way in which he spoke became part of his charm and was one of his most recognizable traits. He is considered by many one of the greatest actors of all time.

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Samuel L. Jackson -

As a child, actor Samuel L. Jackson suffered from a stutter and a fear of public speaking. His speech therapist recommended acting lessons as a way to overcome them.

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Samuel L. Jackson -

Although he still has days when he stutters, clearly his speech therapist had the right idea: Jackson went on to appear in more than 120 films.

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Richard Branson -

As the billionaire founder of Virgin, Richard Branson gives tons of speeches. Yet to this day he still gets nervous and has to work to keep his fear of public speaking at bay.

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Richard Branson -

In 2015, he told Entrepreneur that in order to keep his nerves in check before going on stage, he closes his mind to the audience of hundreds and imagines a more intimate, comfortable setting.

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Warren Buffett -

One of the world's richest individuals suffered from a debilitating fear of public speaking when he was young. The business mogul worked hard to overcome it.

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Warren Buffett -

During the early days, he took a public speaking course, which helped him gain enough confidence to start teaching a university class on investment principles. The rest is history.

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Joel Osteen -

The famed Protestant church minister has a huge public following. More than 200 million people watch him weekly on TV, and he regularly speaks in front of more than 40,000.

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Joel Osteen -

His effortless delivery did not come naturally to him, however: he had to work extremely hard to overcome a fear of public speaking when he was in his twenties.

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Abraham Lincoln -

Now for a few political figures who struggled with public speaking. The first is Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States.

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Abraham Lincoln -

Giving speeches is an obvious job requirement of the presidency. Sources suggest, however, that Lincoln hated the task, making excuses not to do it and using substitutes where possible.

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Thomas Jefferson -

Founding father and former US President Thomas Jefferson is another political figure from days gone by who apparently suffered from a fear of public speaking.

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Thomas Jefferson -

Sources suggest that the key author of the Declaration of Independence only gave two speeches during his political career, and that during those he spoke at a barely audible level.

Sources: (LinkedIn) (British Council) (Forbes)

See also: How to improve your stage presence

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