Understanding Public Speaking Anxiety
Suffering From Public Speaking Anxiety? Here’s What Others Just Like You, Have to Say About their fear.
I have written this article for people who want to do something about their fear of public speaking but need encouragement to take that first step.Many people hesitate because they know that taking a course will require them to do the thing they dread. Often...
Fear of Public Speaking? Your Job Could Be the Problem.
I encourage people to talk about something they know and care about when they do the first speech for one of my courses. It requires little preparation, but more importantly, it eliminates one possible source of anxiety for people – having to talk about something...
How to Survive Giving a Special Occasion Speech (And Even Enjoy It!)
Most courses I run have at least 1 or 2 people attending because they have a wedding speech looming.I also have clients who are still haunted by a ‘disastrous’ wedding speech in the past. For example, someone recently told me that he was nervous the...
How a Lack of Confidence Can Stop a Good Public Speaker From Being Great
Skilled speakers exude confidence, right?Not necessarily. Many reasonably good speakers suffer from intense self-doubt, which ruins the experience of speaking for them and holds them back from becoming great speakers. If you are an anxious speaker, you have probably decided you are rubbish at it...
If You Are Avoiding Public Speaking You Are Not Alone – But You Are Not Doing Yourself Any Favours.
I run courses for people with public speaking anxiety. In the pre-course questionnaire, 80% of participants say that they avoid public speaking if they possibly can. They turn down opportunities, get ‘sick’ on the day, ask others to step in for them, and even turn...
Six Tips to Help You Get the Most From Your Public Speaking Course
So, you have finally decided to do something about your public speaking anxiety and signed up for a course. Congratulations – you have taken a great first step!As a public speaking coach, I see so many people get amazing results – but not everyone gets...
Seven Things I Have Learned From Seven Years of Coaching Public Speaking
I have been coaching young people and adults in public speaking for seven years – initially in a school as a volunteer – and now with adults as a paid coach. When I started, I experienced imposter syndrome. I was a good public speaker and...
Why a ‘Service Mindset’ Will make You a Better Public Speaker – And a Less Nervous One!
Public speaking is a performance, but it is not the same as acting. There are two main differences. The first is fairly obvious – as an actor, you are being someone else, but as a public speaker, ideally, you are being yourself. Many people struggle...
Your Fear of Public Speaking is Not the Problem – It is Your Fear of the Fear
“Overcome”, “conquer”, “kill”, “get over”, and “cure the fear of public speaking” are all terms that people google. I know – I have done the keyword research!If you are anxious about public speaking, you probably see your anxiety as a big problem. You worry that...
Why Reading Your Speech is Like Riding a Bike with Training Wheels
Remember learning to ride a bike? You probably started with training wheels. What happened when your parents removed the training wheels? Perhaps you went, wobble, wobble, wobble, splat. The next time the wobble lasted a little longer before the splat, and then maybe by the...
What Type of Person Fears Public Speaking?
The short answer is most people! But some people have extra high levels of anxiety about public speaking. This article explores how different personality types or attributes can affect people’s anxiety levels. The typical demographic profile for people who take the Fear-less public speaking course...
Experiencing ‘Zoom Panic’? You Are Not Alone.
You have heard of ‘Zoom fatigue’ – the experience of feeling exhausted from being online all day. But have you experienced ‘Zoom panic’? During and post-COVID, I had a spate of calls from people who have had a bad experience presenting online. Some of them...
Why You Are Wrong About What Your Audience Thinks of You – If They Think of You at All!
When I ask clients why they think so many people fear public speaking, I get the same answer almost every time: “Because we’re scared of being judged.” While people will form some impression, you are almost certainly wrong about how much people are judging you...
Five Triggers for Public Speaking Anxiety – and One Solution
Surveys show that most people are nervous about public speaking and around 10% of people have an extreme fear. Glossophobia is the term used to describe persistent and excessive anxiety about public speaking.I have written before about why people fear public speaking. It is primarily a fear...
Have You Had an Epic Public Speaking Fail? Here Is How to Stop Beating Yourself Up
Many of my clients come to me after an epic and humiliating public speaking fail – or a series of more minor fails.I spend the first half of the course explaining the reasons why we are hypercritical of ourselves and why they have probably overestimated...