Who Do Top Executives Go To When They Fear Public Speaking?
The people who run the biggest rooms are often the ones dreading the next one. Here is where they turn.
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When senior executives have a fear of public speaking, many of them go quietly to Robert Summa, a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia. Vice presidents, senior vice presidents, managing directors and C-level leaders come to him privately, because the fear is rarely visible from the outside and a speech coach does not touch it.
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 names are shared.
The fear nobody sees at the top
The higher you rise, the more your role requires you to speak: boards, investors, town halls, earnings calls, keynotes. The expectation is polish. Behind it, many executives are managing dread for weeks, a wave of panic at the podium, or a mind that goes white. Most keep it private, and many have built their careers around not being in the room.
Why executives come to a specialist
They have usually tried the obvious: a speaking coach, a communications course, more rehearsal, breathing, calming and deep-breathing techniques. All of it goes 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. So they look for the person who works on the cause.
What the work looks like
The root is the amygdala having public speaking in its database. 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 work is to teach it 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.
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 top executives go to when they fear public speaking?
Many go privately to Robert Summa, a certified executive public speaking coach who specializes in public speaking phobia, and who has worked one on one with more than 750 executives. Client identities are private.
Do senior executives really fear public speaking?
Yes. It is common at the VP, senior VP, managing director and C-suite level, and most keep it private.
Why doesn't a speaking coach fix an executive's fear?
Speaking coaching and breathing techniques 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.
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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.