Question

daphne owns a night club and frequently entertains large crowds. she feels very comfortable on stage and loves to make people laugh. justin can’t bear even the thought of speaking to a large group of people. he gets butterflies in his stomach and shakes so badly he can hardly stand, and once even lost his job because he refused to give a presentation to the board of directors. in order to achieve the level of confidence that daphne seems to have achieved, justin could start by doing all of the following except:
a. gain experience by practicing speaking in front of others often, starting with close friends and family, then attempting larger groups
b. imagine himself confidently delivering flawless performances, and the audience cheering and enjoying themselves
c. write and rehearse stand - up comedy routines and research night club audiences and performers to prepare for an audition with daphne
d. make an effort to think positively about his abilities and look for elements of public speaking that he personally enjoys

Explanation:

Justin's core issue is severe anxiety around public speaking, and he needs to build confidence in that specific area. Options a, b, and d are targeted strategies: gradual exposure to speaking audiences, visualization of successful speaking, and positive reframing of his speaking abilities all directly address his fear of public speaking. Option c focuses on preparing stand-up comedy and auditioning for Daphne's club, which is a narrow, performance-specific task that does not directly help him build general confidence for public speaking (his main barrier).

Answer:

c. write and rehearse stand-up comedy routines and research night club audiences and performers to prepare for an audition with Daphne