Joe Kowan Sings a Song at TED to Beat Stage Fright

Oh Wow! For all of you struggling with Stage Fright and fear of public speaking, please watch Joe Kowan give an 8 minute TED Talk on how he beat stage fright.  Joe shares that he wrote a song to express the inner feelings of stage fright as a way of dealing with it. Those of… Read more

The Alchemy of Public Speaking: Turning Performance Anxiety into Presence

We can alchemically transform performance anxiety into presence in our physical body.  Alchemy is a term for turning a less valuable substance into a more valuable one. The human body is a laboratory for transformation of consciousness. Performance anxiety is a distressful reaction to energy trying to flow through the body when we become the… Read more

What can we Learn from Michael Bay’s Stage Fright?

Very accomplished people experience stage fright and fear of public speaking! Witness Michael Bay, director of Transformers, who froze and walked off the stage at the 2014 Samsung Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. My mission is to help heal the world of stage fright and fear of public speaking so that people can shine… Read more

How to Say a Few Words When You are not Prepared to Speak in Public

Speaking in groups and meetings is an essential skill for every business professional. You are expected to be able to share your ideas, expertise and experience to contribute to your company’s success. If you can’t speak up and speak out, you hit a glass ceiling past which you can’t advance in your company. So, how… Read more

Speaking for Authentic Expression: Interview with Dr. Brene Brown

“Authenticity is a practice” says Dr. Brene Brown in a conversation with Oprah. You have to choose it every day. This applies not only in one’s personal life, but in business as well. In business, authenticity generates authority. When we speak from our own inner authority, others sense our power. But it takes courage to speak… Read more

Calming Stage Fright: Exercise helps Anxiety

Performing arts training, of necessity, includes methods to develop relaxation, concentration and presence. Years ago, in acting school,  I learned to do a voice and body exercise warm-up before auditioning or performing. While it did not completely get rid of my performance anxiety, it did help calm me. When I became a teacher of public speaking,… Read more

Think actors don’t have fear of public speaking? How Katherine Heigl used her fear to speak from her heart!

People are often incredulous when I share my story about being trained an actress and yet having such fear of public speaking. But acting is a skill based on saying the words of a character, not usually your own words. In acting there is no need to reveal your own thinking, whereas in public speaking,… Read more

Flipped Teaching: Get Ready for Your Close-up! Great Concept but New Video Teaching Skills Needed.

Learning by doing is how we learn!  Seems so simple.  Yet old fashioned teaching methods have teachers, instructors and professors lecturing on and on and on and students tuning out. The flipped classroom concept allows students to watch short instructional videos outside of the classroom and then to practice skills in class while a teacher… Read more

Therapist Erika Hilliard on Shyness and Social Anxiety

On August 29, 2012 The Houston Chronical reprinted a Chicago Tribune article on shyness in people who are single and breaking the bashful barrier.  The article states that behind shyness is extreme self-consciousness.  Shy people constantly worry that others are judging them, and they blame themselves for negative outcomes, so they choose to not do… Read more

Great Article on Why Public Speaking Scares You by Susan Adams at Forbes.com

I just read an article on Forbes called “Why Public Speaking Scares and and How to Overcome your Fear” by Susan Adams. This is one of the best articles on fear of speaking I have seen in  a long time! I am a presentation and speaking coach in Houston.  I have specialized in transforming stage… Read more