Fear of Public Speaking

In recent years, movements such as the #metoo movement have sought to disarm patriarchal institutions from ‘owning it all’. North America is at something of a tipping point, with equitable societies seemingly within reach. The move towards equity and equality is gaining momentum, and it gives me hope. But it’s not fast enough for me. I’m not 20 any longer. The female leaders I had as examples were women like of Gloria Steinham, Betty Friedan, Angela Davis, and bell hooks. I believed their messages – that women could have it all. These women and other second-wave feminists took the stage and inspired me to carve my own path. I saw and heard their vision – discovered what they believed in

So, you have a big presentation coming up. Maybe you’ve been invited to pitch an idea to your boss or deliver a presentation to an industry association. Maybe you’re even giving the keynote. Your first reaction is to jump at the opportunity. Then, as the day gets closer your pre-presentation nerves start getting the better of you. As your public speaking anxiety ramps up, you can hear the sound of your heart thumping in your ears. Your clothes are sticking to your skin. Nights before the big day you toss and turn in bed. Thankfully there are lots of ways to manage your presentation jitters. Notice the emphasis on the word “manage.” Nervousness isn’t something you can entirely get rid

…and why you shouldn’t say no to your the opportunity to take the stage. Be forewarned. Today’s post is a little edgy…blunt and with a bit of cheeky fun intertwined. Hold on to your feathers… Why is it that sometimes a blowhard with a big ego that doesn’t have much that’s worthy to say, will without apprehension take the stage, and those that have vision and ideas that have substance and value are sometimes/often hesitant to grab the mic (or toot their own horn)? I’m generalizing, however, I meet lots of people each and every week and often learn that many don’t want to put themselves out there to use public speaking as a forum to share their experience and

Recently I attended a class that was way out of my comfort zone. It was a form of breathwork called Breath Wave. The reason I planned to attend this workshop was to learn more tools to help my clients regulate their public speaking anxiety. And my own. Yes, everyone gets stung by pre-presentation nerves, and that includes me. (Learning how to calm yourself down before giving a presentation is a essential life skill.) Poor breathing mechanics are directly correlated with anxiety. Often, when working with new clients, I’ll ask them to take a big, deep belly breath. Most can’t and are only able to breathe from their upper chest. I knew the mechanics of what to expect from the class,

During a recent conversation a self-identified extrovert shared with me that she loves being on stage, however, she gets anxious at the thought of speaking at ‘webinar’ style events. “It’s the fear of the unknown audience because I have no idea whom I’m speaking to and can’t read their body language for feedback,” she said. Does the fear of speaking into a black hole of a faceless audience rattle you too? Have you been invited to a Facebook Live or asked to be an expert guest for a webinar and although you knew that it will help you build your career or business, you graciously declined and regretted it later? Are you curious about how you can say an excited yes instead of

While working with public speaking coaching clients (geting them prepared for their presentations) two common threads around anxiety have emerged. I’ve watched time and again when presentation anxiety rears its ugly head, it impedes “memorizing” (I use this word liberally because I’m not a fan of memoized speeches/presentations) their speech. The capacity to first integrate their written content into short term memory is minimal and then to move what they have integrated to long term memory is worse. What I’ve learned is their anxiety blocks the ability to learn and remember. Many clients often share their fear of forgetting the content they’ve diligently”memorized” when they arrive at the podium or have a mic in their hands. I’ve seen it happen

You Are Perfect Call me a late bloomer. I won’t be insulted because I actually am. In my late forties I returned to post secondary to receive my communication degree and it was because of those few years I really hit my stride. I had some brilliant professors – one in particular whom I remember fondly. She often shared with my cohort that we were “perfect as we are”. My first reaction was confusion and the second was absolute disagreement. I “knew” I had a long way to go to becoming perfect. It took me a while to wrap my head around what she was telling us. Fast forward a few years and I see it repeated time and time

It seemed like a great idea at the time to accept that speaking opportunity, didn’t it? But now with your presentation only a few days away you need to learn how to calm yourself down before your speech. Why is it that the thought of public speaking strikes terror in our hearts? It’s the fight or flight response that brings up our nerves. Our amygdala gets activated making us feel exposed and vulnerable in front of our colleagues/peers. Is there anyone who doesn’t feel nervous or anxious when their presentation is looming? No, with one qualifier…only those whose ego may have jumped a few strides ahead of their ability and aren’t truly reflecting on what they’ve signed up for. Ignoring