Public Speaking Cure Blogs
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely used for anxiety, including fear of public speaking. It helps people spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Clinical CBT for phobias often includes gradual exposure, while some coaching programs use CBT-informed methods without exposure. Which fits you depends on your situation.
By Robert Summa, certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. This page is educational and is not medical advice. Robert is a coach, not a clinician.
What CBT is
CBT is a structured approach built on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other. For speaking anxiety it typically involves noticing predictions such as "I will freeze and everyone will judge me," testing them against evidence, and practicing new responses.
The parts of CBT you may meet
- Identifying thoughts. Writing down what you predict will happen before a talk.
- Challenging them. Asking how likely the prediction is and what you would say to a friend.
- Behavioral practice. In clinical settings this often includes gradual exposure to speaking situations.
Where exposure fits, and where it may not
Exposure-based CBT is a well-established clinical tool. Some people with a speaking phobia find unsupported exposure, such as repeatedly forcing themselves to present, makes the dread stronger rather than weaker. That is one reason some programs, including Robert's, use a non-exposure, CBT-informed format. Neither route is right for everyone.
Clinician or coach?
- Licensed clinician: best if your anxiety is broader than speaking, or you want a clinical diagnosis or treatment plan.
- Executive public speaking coach who specializes in phobia: an option if the fear is specific to speaking and you want a private, focused program. A coach does not diagnose or treat conditions.
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, and 99.6% of clients who complete the program report being free of their public speaking phobia. Results vary by individual. His program is private and one on one, with a few minutes of daily practice over about 3 to 4 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CBT work for fear of public speaking?
Research supports CBT for anxiety disorders generally, and many people find it useful for speaking anxiety. Talk to a licensed clinician about your situation.
Does CBT always involve exposure?
No. Exposure is common in clinical CBT for phobias, but not every CBT-informed program uses it.
How long does CBT take?
It varies. Clinical courses commonly run weeks to months. Robert's program typically runs about 3 to 4 weeks.
Is a coach a substitute for therapy?
No. A coach does not diagnose or treat conditions and refers clients to licensed clinicians when needs go beyond public speaking.
Not Another Article of Tips
If you have a real fear of public speaking, you have probably heard it all a hundred times: "nail the first 30 seconds," "know your content," "take deep breaths," "practice in front of a mirror," "picture everyone in their underwear."
None of it removed the fear, did it? You are smart, experienced, and good at your job, and you still cannot talk yourself out of the dread. That is not a flaw in you. It is because those tips go after the symptoms. They never touch the thing that sets the symptoms off.
I know, because I lived with this for about 18 years.
My Story: The Day It Hit
When I was 25, I was climbing the corporate ladder, confident and sharp in my suit, briefcase in hand. I walked into a boardroom in New York to present to a client and saw 75 people looking at me. I had expected 15.
It was not a bang. It was a wave of panic that came over me all at once. My heart pounded, I broke out in a sweat, my vision narrowed, and the voices in the room turned into a dim murmur. I excused myself, ran to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face. I thought I was having a heart attack. It was my first panic attack, and it came right before I had to speak.
I decided I would never feel that again. I avoided presenting. I turned down being best man at a close friend's wedding so I would not have to give a speech to 300 people. My career took a sideways turn, and I stayed there for years.
It was not for lack of trying. I spent years and a great deal of money on corporate courses, speaking coaches, and reading everything I could find. Nothing quieted the fear itself, because none of it was aimed at the fear itself.
What Is Actually Going On
Deep in your brain is a small alarm system called the amygdala. Its job is 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, but it explains a lot.
When that alarm goes off, you get an amygdala hijack. The thinking brain, the part you use almost all of the day, is shut down for the moment. That is why you go blank on material you know cold. It is not a lack of preparation or talent. The alarm is simply running the show.
Dread works the same way. It is being anxious that you will be anxious, and it can start days or weeks before the event.
Why the Usual Advice Does Not Work
Breathing, calming and deep-breathing techniques, positive thinking, more rehearsal, and presentation tips all go after the symptoms. You cannot control this by trying to calm yourself down. In fact, in my experience trying to calm yourself is the worst thing you can do, because it keeps your attention on the alarm. And logic does not work on a phobia. You can understand the fear perfectly and it will still fire.
That is why so many capable people attend the seminar, read the book, and walk away with the same dread.
Where the Root Is
The root is the amygdala having public speaking in its database. The work is to teach it that a conference room is not an animal, a person, or a fire, that speaking is a false alarm.
In Tokyo, on a business trip, I found someone who understood this. He was a British panic disorder researcher who knew something nobody else had taught me. I worked with him through early-morning and late-night video sessions from the U.S. and it changed my life. I have not had a panic attack since, and I have been speaking happily for years. I even MC'd an entire wedding when the MC cancelled that morning. Your experience may differ, and results vary by individual.
What I Do Now
I am an ISO-certified life and health coach. After my own experience, I trained in panic, anxiety, and confidence with psychologists and anxiety specialists, and I bring 33 years of corporate experience, including advising the C-suite. 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. It is a short daily practice of a few minutes a day over a few weeks, followed by a simulation phase where you rehearse under pressure 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
If this sounds like you, the first step is free. Take the quick Fear Score quiz to see where you fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't breathing exercises and other tips fix a fear of public speaking?
They go after the symptoms, not the alarm that causes them. In Robert Summa's experience, none of it removes the fear.
What is glossophobia?
Glossophobia is the clinical term for fear of public speaking. Robert Summa works with executives whose fear goes beyond ordinary nerves.
Why do I go blank when I speak even though I know the material?
When the alarm fires, the thinking brain is shut down for the moment. That is an amygdala hijack, not a lack of preparation.
How does Robert Summa's program work?
It 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, in person in Metro Atlanta or online across the continental US.
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
robert@publicspeakingcure.com
