Business leaders think public speaking is the most daunting part of their job, a new report has revealed.
A survey of 200 senior executives showed that almost half had suffered a bad experience from addressing a conference or making other public speeches.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Preparing business plans or handling financial data was easy compared with the trauma of public speaking, the research found.
Two-thirds of those questioned by the Aziz Corporation, a communications consultancy, said they would find a media interview difficult and half would not relish addressing a large conference.