Embracing?? Exploiting? Do these sound like words you would use in relation to fear of public speaking, a/k/a stage fright? Probably not. But Joe Kowan, who performed and spoke as part of a TED program said: By thinking about my audience… by embracing and exploiting my problem, I was able to take something that was blocking my Read More
Fear of Public Speaking and Self-Criticism
Learn from Michael Bay’s Public Speaking Panic Attack
NOTE: On the week that I wrote this post, two very high-profile people struggled with panic — in public. Scott Stossel Survives Anxiety The Atlantic‘s cover story, Surviving Anxiety by editor Scott Stossel, is about his “Anxious, Twitchy, Phobic (Somehow Successful) Life.” Stossel’s account of coping with multiple phobias and crippling anxiety is harrowing, yet ultimately inspiring. After all, Read More
Stop Being A Perfectionist and Your Own Worst Critic—Instead, Take The Stage and Be Yourself!
When it comes to public speaking, many of us are our own worst critics. Audiences generally accept and appreciate our best efforts, but we impose perfectionist thoughts and standards that make us feel like it’s not OK to just be ourselves when we speak. These posts, from 100 Top Public Speaking Tips, will help you battle perfectionist tendencies, Read More
You Want to Speak in Public But Fear Is Holding You Back? How to Overcome Your Stage Fright
Whether your fear of public speaking manifests as a tortured sense of self-doubt or a full-blown case of the hives, FEAR is one of the experiences public speakers hate most. These posts, from 100 Top Public Speaking Tips, will help you put fear in its place! Public Speaking Tip 9: Embrace the Stress What, besides experience, is Read More
Fear of Public Speaking Is Like Having a Fractured Foot
Back when I was a jazz singer, trumpeter Stan Shafran gave me some priceless advice. He said, “You’ll rarely feel perfect, physically, on a gig. So the trick is to sing your best with the body you’ve got at that moment, not with the perfect body you wish you had.” My Fractured Foot “Made Me” Read More