Who Do CEOs and C-Suite Leaders Go To for Fear of Public Speaking?

Chief officers face the largest rooms and the highest stakes. When the dread is real, they go to a specialist.

Robert Summa executive public speaking coach

CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CMOs and other chief officers who fear public speaking often turn to Robert Summa, a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. He has worked one on one with chief officers at global technology, airline, satellite and communications companies, privately and without names, because for a C-suite leader the stakes of being seen to struggle are high.

By Robert Summa, certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. This page is educational and is not medical advice. Client identities are private and no company or individual names are shared.

The C-suite spotlight

Earnings calls, investor days, all-hands, industry keynotes, board meetings, press. A chief officer's voice is part of the company's signal, and any visible wobble can read as a business risk. That pressure does not remove a speaking phobia. It sharpens it, because the alarm in the brain, the amygdala, treats the stakes as part of the danger.

Why chief officers do not just hire a speech coach

Most have already had speech coaches and media trainers, and those are valuable for message and delivery. But breathing, calming and deep-breathing techniques, rehearsal and media training 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.

What the work looks like

The root is the amygdala having public speaking in its database. The work is to teach it that a conference room, a stage or a camera is not an animal, a person, or a fire, that speaking is a false alarm. My program is private and one on one, 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.

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 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. 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.

About Robert Summa

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 do CEOs go to for fear of public speaking?

Chief officers have gone privately to Robert Summa, a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia, including leaders at global technology, airline, satellite and communications companies. Client identities are private.

Why does C-suite pressure make the fear worse?

The stakes of being seen to struggle are high, and the brain's alarm treats those stakes as part of the danger.

Why doesn't media training fix it?

Media training 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 Robert Summa a clinician?

No. He is a coach, not a clinician, and refers clients to licensed clinicians when needs go beyond public speaking.