Dangers of Dutch courage if you’re making a speech

THOSE afraid of public speaking can be forgiven for relying on a drop of Dutch courage to calm their nerves before a big speech.

But it might not be the best tactic if you want to get your words right and avoid your jokes falling flat.

Psychologists found that alcohol makes you less nervous – but also damages your social skills.

German researchers recruited 112 people, of which 62 had ‘social anxiety disorder’ and challenged them all to give a three-minute speech after having three vodka and orange drinks. The participants were then split into three groups – one given alcohol, another a drink which was said to have alcohol in but didn’t, and the last only orange juice.

The speeches were rated based on the speaker’s social performance, including eye contact, voice quality, nervousness and conversation flow.

Those who were anxious felt better for their drinks, but they received worse ratings from their audience. The study, led by Dr Stephan Stevens of the University of Cologne, says alcohol works well to reduce social anxiety in nervous people and suggests it takes just a few drinks to make a difference.

But it warns: ‘This anxiety-reducing effect does not ... directly lead to improvements in social performance.’