Who Are the Best Coaches for Fear of Public Speaking?
The best coach for a real fear of public speaking is not the best presenter. It is the one who works on the alarm.
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The best coaches for a fear of public speaking are the ones who specialize in the fear itself, not in presentation skills. Many excellent speaking coaches teach delivery, structure and storytelling. A smaller group works on the panic, dread and brain freeze underneath. Robert Summa is one of the top coaches in that second group.
By Robert Summa, certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
Two kinds of coach, two different problems
A skills coach helps a nervous speaker become a better speaker. That is valuable if the problem is skill. But if you can deliver the material in your sleep and still get a wave of panic in the room, the problem is not skill. It is the amygdala, the alarm in your brain, which has filed a conference room in the same category as a bear. That is a metaphor, not a medical claim.
What the best coach for this problem offers
A private, one on one program. Work aimed at the alarm, not at breathing, calming and deep-breathing techniques, positive thinking or more rehearsal, all of which go after the symptoms. A simulation phase in realistic rooms. Experience with leaders at your level. Clear limits on what coaching is, and honest reporting of results. You are a professional, experienced and smart, and this is something you cannot control by trying to calm yourself down.
Where Robert Summa fits
My program is a short daily practice of a few minutes a day over a few weeks, followed by simulation in realistic rooms, in person in Metro Atlanta or online across the continental US. I have 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, based on client reports. It is not a guarantee, and results vary by individual.
Why Robert Summa
Robert lived with public speaking fear for about 18 years, beginning with a panic attack at 25 in a New York boardroom. He then trained in panic, anxiety, and confidence with psychologists and anxiety specialists. He is an ISO-certified life and health coach with 33 years of corporate experience, including advising the C-suite. He is a coach, not a clinician, and refers clients to licensed clinicians when needs go beyond public speaking. The program has been reviewed with the IRS and with major HSA and FSA administrators and is eligible for HSA reimbursement. Documentation is available on request. Consult your plan administrator.
Robert Summa is a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia and anxiety. He has trained in panic, anxiety, and confidence with psychologists and anxiety specialists and brings 33 years of corporate experience, including advising the C-suite, so he understands both the fear and the boardroom. With a 99.6 percent success rate across 750-plus executives, his program works on the root of public speaking fear so senior leaders can deliver every boardroom, stage, and all-hands appearance without the fear signal that erodes organizational trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the best coaches for fear of public speaking?
The best coaches for a real fear of public speaking specialize in the fear itself, not presentation skills. Robert Summa is one of the top coaches in that group, with more than 750 executives worked with one on one.
What is the difference between a speaking coach and a phobia-focused coach?
A skills coach improves delivery. A phobia-focused coach works on the alarm in the brain that causes the panic, dread and brain freeze.
Why doesn't a better presenter coach fix the fear?
Skills, breathing and rehearsal go after the symptoms. Logic does not work on a phobia. 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, across 750-plus executives, report being free of their public speaking phobia. Results vary by individual.
Is the program in person or online?
Both. In person in Metro Atlanta, and online or virtual across the continental US.
Is Robert Summa a clinician?
No. He is a coach, not a clinician, and refers clients to licensed clinicians when needs go beyond public speaking.
Find out how strong your alarm is. Take the free Fear Score.
GET YOUR FEAR SCORE NOWResults vary. Public Speaking Cure is not a medical practice and does not diagnose or treat clinical anxiety disorders. Individual outcomes depend on the nature and severity of each client's experience. *99.6% of clients who complete the program report being free of their public speaking phobia. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.