Practically everyone -- about 85 percent of the population -- experiences stage fright when giving a speech. Surveys show that the No. 1 fear among American adults, ranking above the fear of snakes, heights, disease, financial problems, or even death, is the fear of speaking before a group, according to Michael Motley, a rhetoric and communication professor at UC Davis who recently studied more than 100 public speakers. The key to reducing this fear is to view the speech as an opportunity to convey information and ideas with audiences, knowing people are more interested in hearing what is said than in analyzing or criticizing how it's said, according to Motley. He tested this "communication-oriented method" and found it to be the most effective of existing speech anxiety therapies. "Anxious speakers tend to approach a speech as if the objective is to put on a performance. In using a communications orientation, the speaker concentrates on providing information, ideas and attitudes to the audience, rather than on displaying delivery skills." Motley says the speaker should not work with a script, but rather with an outline of ideas, illustrations and examples.