The Fear-Less Public Speaking Blog
You will find articles here, mainly about public speaking nerves. These articles feature many of my clients and their stories about dealing with public speaking anxiety.
If you are interested in a course or one-on-one coaching, see what others say for direct testimonials.
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...
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’? I have had a spate of recent calls from people who have had a bad experience presenting online. Some of them tell...
Why You Are Wrong About What Your Audience Thinks of You – If They Think of You at All!
When I ask my clients why they think so many people fear public speaking, they almost always talk about being judged. Concern about being judged is a significant factor, but it is only part of it. Someone with strong self-belief tends to worry less about being...
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...
No good at public speaking? Six reasons why improving is just like learning to play a new sport (or any other complex skill)
I recently heard someone describe the three phases he goes through when learning a new skill. The first stage is fear. The second stage is grit – the hard work that goes into getting good at anything. Thirdly, there is mastery – the feeling of...
How to share something personal with an audience without oversharing! Seven questions that will help if you are unsure
On the first night of my public speaking course, I tell people the story of my epic public speaking fail. You can read all about it on my Medium site. The short version is that I had a panic attack in front of the senior...
Skills That Will Make Your Resume An Eye Catcher
This guest Blog post has been provided courtesy of Bootcamprankings.comHiring managers have the unappealing job of sorting through hundreds of applications to find the right candidates. Everyone has heard the saying your resume needs to stick out in the 5 to 10 seconds a hiring...
Have you had an epic public speaking fail? Here is how to stop berating yourself and practice self-compassion instead.
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...
Do you have employees hiding a fear of public speaking?
This email arrived in my inbox today, “Hi, I am terrified about public speaking and the panic attacks that come with it! I go to great lengths to avoid these situations, and it’s having an impact on my life. Is this the sort of course that...
Nervous About Public Speaking? Self-Talk That Actually Helps
You are a bundle of nerves. You have an important presentation to give. You have been dreading it for days. You barely slept last night, and you can feel your heart pounding and the panic rising. You look in the mirror, smile, and repeat three...
Five Slightly Unusual Public Speaking Tips to Improve Your Delivery and Reduce Nervousness!
There are plenty of useful articles about public speaking, but many of them repackage similar tips. Remember to pause; practice your presentation thoroughly; maintain eye contact; focus on your audience; tell stories; and so on. Don’t get me wrong — it is all great advice! But I...
Preparing for a Presentation — Are You a Procrastinator or a Perfectionist?
Few people can engage an audience without preparing and practicing. Even presenters who look like they are speaking ‘off the cuff’, have usually prepared thoroughly— or have presented the same material many times previously. When I first started as a public speaking coach, I stressed...
When leaders express self-doubt, they do us all a favour
Here in New Zealand, two high profile people recently made public statements expressing self-doubt. In different ways, Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Todd Muller have helped expose that leaders are not immune from self-doubt. Dr Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, has become something of a national hero...