If you tremble at the thought of expressing ideas to a crowd, you are not alone. The fear of public speaking is often rated the average person’s number one fear, even topping the terrifying prospects of spiders and falling off a cliff. Unfortunately, to make it in the “real world”, one must improve these skills quickly to be taken seriously. Luckily for you, I have the answer.

Thirty second speeches.

I know, so simple. But yet, so effective. This is a classic speech exercise used to get people to loosen up and be comfortable in front of an audience. It also levels the playing field by assigning each person a topic randomly, no background knowledge required.

Here’s how it works: you get in a room with at least two other people (ideally the more the merrier) and each person writes down a few topics. These could be anything from yoga to Harry Styles to mosques. Once everyone has deposited their topics into a communal hat or box, you all take turns picking one at random and giving an entirely impromptu speech on it, with no preparation whatsoever. You must keep talking for the entire 30 seconds, and you’re penalized for every “um”, “uh”, or other filler words. To keep score, you can track the filler words or see how long someone can go without pausing or repeating anything. Or, if you like, you can just participate for fun, no competition aspect necessary.

This fosters a sense of urgency and triggers your brain’s response to just get something done without question or worry. By not even allowing a few seconds to collect your thoughts, many people who play this game end up coming up with an extremely random but interesting story or two somehow dug up from the depths of their memories upon seeing the topic they chose. If you play this game, you’ll quickly gain confidence in your ability to think on your feet and entertain a crowd. You’ll also bond with your fellow players as you all think up crazy stories to tell to fill the time limits.

The best part about this game is the fact that it is so universal. This can work in a high school speech and debate class, a midday office meeting, or even a fun Friday night with friends. No matter the setting, this activity is designed to jumpstart creativity and self confidence, two characteristics that can only make you a better student, employee or friend.

Have fun and spread the word. Let's try to help spiders make a comeback to the top of the fear list.