Sometimes your mind purrs along like a well-tuned engine. Other times it coughs up thoughts, feelings, and anxieties that are worse than useless. Flashes of insecurity are human and inevitable. But when negative thoughts pop into your mind, it’s all too easy to freeze up, sputter, or panic. For many of us, this happens when we’re asked a question that Read More
Fear of Public Speaking and Self-Criticism
Fear of Public Speaking? It Sucks
Lots of new clients are showing up lately with fear of public speaking as their presenting complaint. That fear can range from mild to maddening to career-killing. But whatever its level, fear of public speaking sucks—and there are two things you should know about it: #1: Fear of Public Speaking? It Makes Perfect Sense When most Read More
Public Speaking Tip 64: Don’t Listen to the Self-Critical Voice in Your Head
Most people have a mean, negative, undermining voice inside their heads. Like a parasite, this little voice feeds off your energy, sapping you as it strengthens itself. It’s been called: Your “superego” (psychiatrist Sigmund Freud), Your “critical parent” (psychologist Eric Berne), “Cruel self-rebuke” (advice columnist Cary Tennis), and more. I just call it your Nasty Read More
Public Speaking Tip 47: Fear of Public Speaking? Use YOU Language and an Avatar to Create Distance from Fear
How do you create distance from fear of public speaking? One way is to talk to yourself in the “second person,” as YOU. You may remember from high school that: When you talk about yourself (“I like ice cream”) you’re speaking in what’s called first person; When you talk directly to someone else (“You like ice Read More
How Joe Kowan Beat Stage Fright (and You Can, Too)
“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