You're about to listen to a BBC podcast and trust me you'll get there in a moment but if you're a comedy fan

I'd really like to tell you a bit about what we do. I'm Julie Mackenzie and I commission comedy

podcast at the BBC. It's a bit of a dream job really.

Comedy is a fantastic joyous thing to do because really you're making people laugh,

making people's days a bit better, helping them process, all manner of things.

But you know I also know that comedy is really

subjective and everyone has different tastes so we've got a huge range of comedy on offer

from satire to silly shocking to soothing profound to just general pratting about. So if you

fancy a laugh, find your next comedy at BBC Sounds.

Hello and thank you for downloading the more or less podcast.

We are your weekly guide to the numbers in the news and in life and I'm Tim Harford.

Have you ever had to stand up and give a speech at a wedding?

Perhaps give a presentation at work, or even just say a few informal words in front of a group?

Maybe you can relate to the abject terror that the prospect

produces in some people, the knot in the stomach, the sweaty palms, the dread

of goofing it up. But is speaking in public your deepest, darkest fear?

Loyal listener Matt Abrahams got in touch to say,

As someone who teaches communication, we often say that speaking in public is people's

number one fear, but I'm not convinced the research really backs this up. I'd love to hear you do a deep dive into our

greatest fears. Fear not match, we're on it. So just where does the idea come

from? Dr Karen Kangas Dwyer is the author of I Conquer Speech Anxiety and formerly a

professor in the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

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