How I Overcame My Fear of Public Speaking (Glossophobia) and Why It Matters to You
Aug 01, 2022
In this video I tell the story of my first panic attack tied to public speaking, and why it may be relevant to your story. If you have been looking online, taking seminars, and hiring coaches and still feel the dread, you will recognize a lot of this.
My First Panic Attack in a Boardroom
At 25 I was the youngest manager in the history of Westinghouse, a company that in the 1990s was a household name. A client invited me to present in her city. I took the train, laptop and briefcase in hand, confident and sharp.
I walked into the boardroom expecting about 15 people and saw 75. As soon as I saw all those eyes it hit me, not like a bang but like a wave of panic. I excused myself, ran to the bathroom, threw water on my face, and could not stop my hands from shaking. My heart was pounding and I thought I was dying. It was my first panic attack. I went back and got through the presentation, but I walked out humiliated.
The Years of Avoidance
After that I avoided presenting. I knew the higher you climb the corporate ladder, the more you speak, so I took a sideways path. I turned down being best man at a friend's wedding so I would not have to give a speech to 300 people. I would not get on a karaoke stage. I tried seminars, coaches, and books for years, and none of it was aimed at the fear itself.
Finding My Mr. Miyagi
Like Daniel in The Karate Kid, I eventually found my Mr. Miyagi. About 18 years later, on a business trip in Tokyo, I Googled "fear of public speaking" for the thousandth time and the results came up in Japanese. One ad was in English. It led me to a British panic disorder researcher who taught me things I had never heard in the United States. I worked with him for a few weeks, and it changed my life. I have not had a panic attack since, and today I present in front of entire departments and companies. I still get normal nerves like anyone, but not the alarm. Your experience may differ, and results vary by individual.
Why the Usual Advice Does Not Work
Breathing, calming and deep-breathing techniques, practicing your content, nailing the first 30 seconds, and getting up there more often all go after the symptoms. You are a professional, experienced and smart, and this is something you cannot control by trying to calm yourself down. Logic does not work on a phobia. In my experience, none of it removes the fear.
Where the Root Is
Deep in your brain, a small alarm system called the amygdala exists to protect you from real danger. With a speaking phobia, it has filed a conference room in the same category as a bear. That is a metaphor, not a medical claim. The root is the amygdala having public speaking in its database, and the work is to teach it that speaking is a false alarm.
What I Do Now
I am an ISO-certified life and health coach and I trained in panic, anxiety, and confidence with psychologists and anxiety specialists. I bring 33 years of corporate experience, including advising the C-suite, and I have worked one on one with more than 750 executives, in person in Metro Atlanta and online across the continental US.
My program is private and one on one, with a short daily practice of a few minutes a day over a few weeks, followed by a simulation phase in realistic rooms. 99.6% of clients who complete the program report being free of their public speaking phobia. That is based on client reports, it is not a guarantee, and results vary by individual. I am a coach, not a clinician, and I refer clients to licensed clinicians when their needs go beyond public speaking.
Start With Your Fear Score
Read the full story: How I Overcame My Fear of Public Speaking
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Robert Summa's first panic attack like?
At 25, walking into a boardroom of 75 people, a wave of panic hit him: pounding heart, sweating, shaking hands, and the urge to flee.
Why don't tips and breathing exercises work?
They go after the symptoms, not the alarm that causes them. In Robert Summa's experience, none of it removes the fear.
What results does the program report?
99.6% of clients who complete the program report being free of their public speaking phobia, across 750-plus executives. Results vary by individual.
Is Robert Summa a clinician?
No. He is a coach, not a clinician, and refers clients to licensed clinicians when their needs go beyond public speaking.
Robert Summa
Certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia
