Public Speaking Cure Blogs
Public speaking phobia (glossophobia) is an intense, out-of-proportion fear response to speaking in front of others. Ordinary nerves fade once you start and improve with practice. A phobia tends to start days ahead, stay or intensify while you speak, and lead to avoidance. What helps differs between the two.
By Robert Summa, certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. This page is educational and is not medical advice or a diagnosis.
Is it nerves or a phobia?
Ask yourself:
- Does the dread start days or weeks before the event?
- Do you get several physical signs at once, such as a pounding heart, shaking voice, sweating, or a blank mind?
- Do you avoid or turn down speaking opportunities?
- Has practice failed to help, or even made it worse?
If most of these fit, you may be dealing with more than normal nerves. If anxiety shows up well beyond speaking, a licensed clinician is the right first stop.
What usually helps normal nerves
- Rehearsing out loud in conditions close to the real room.
- Knowing your first 60 seconds cold.
- Low-stakes reps, such as a speaking group.
Why those tools often fall short for a phobia
A phobia is a fear response, not a skills gap. Deep in the 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. More practice, positive self-talk, and calming techniques can help at the edges, but they do not change the response, and trying hard to calm down can add to it.
What to look for in help
- An approach aimed at the fear response itself, not only delivery skills.
- A provider who is clear about what they are and are not, for example coach versus clinician.
- A defined timeline and format, so you know what you are signing up for.
- Privacy, if you are a senior leader who cannot practice in front of colleagues.
Why Robert Summa
Robert lived with public speaking fear for 18 years, then trained in panic, anxiety, and confidence with psychologists and anxiety specialists. He brings 33 years of corporate experience, including advising the C-suite. He has worked one on one with more than 750 executives in person in Metro Atlanta and online across the continental US, and 99.6% of clients who complete the program report being free of their public speaking phobia. Results vary by individual. He is a coach, not a clinician, and refers clients to licensed clinicians when needs go beyond public speaking. His program is private and one on one, with a few minutes of daily practice over about 3 to 4 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between stage fright and a speaking phobia?
Stage fright is a proportionate surge of nerves that fades once you begin. A speaking phobia is out of proportion, starts days ahead, and usually leads to avoidance.
Can you get over a fear of public speaking?
Many people do. What works depends on whether it is normal nerves or a phobia. Clients who complete Robert Summa's program report being free of their phobia, and results vary by individual.
How long does it take?
For nerves, weeks to months of practice. Robert's program typically runs about 3 to 4 weeks.
Should I see a therapist or a coach?
If your anxiety extends beyond speaking, start with a licensed clinician. If it is specific to speaking and you want a private, focused program, a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in phobia is an option.
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
Today we will discuss the Truth About the Fear of Public Speaking! Is Everything You Learned Wrong? You may be SHOCKED to learn was is making your fears and phobias worse!
Welcome to Public Speaking Cure; the ONLY channel on Youtube that is dedicated to helping you overcome and get over your fear of public speaking. Statistics show that the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia, also known as glossophobia.
Many people fear speaking or presenting more than death. Some people call it stage fright or public speaking anxiety. Some even get panic attacks. This channel is dedicated to helping you overcome and conquer your fears and phobias of public speaking (glossophobia /stage fright) with proven techniques, tips, and practices.
My one of a kind SIGNATURE methodĀ uses aĀ NON-EXPOSUREĀ therapy, which isĀ unlike 99% of ALL speaking programs, corporate seminars, presentation coaches, and stage fright specialists out there. Using my proven method only taught in the Top Ivy League and Universities, you will quickly overcomeĀ ANY levelĀ of fear, anxiety, stage fright, and even panic attacks associated with Public Speaking (Glossophobia), presenting, speeches, and social networking to EMPOWER you with a COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION to reach both your career, life aspirations.
Robert Summa:Ā Certified Public Speaking Phobia Expert & Coach Specialties: Glossophobia (fear of public speaking), stage fright, presenting, communication skills, motivation, anxiety, panic attacks
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