Do you fear public speaking? Is your fear of public speaking hurting your career and holding you back from great opportunities? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Fear of public speaking is one of the top five fears in our society. Jerry Seinfeld got a big laugh when he joked about a survey that found that the fear of public speaking ranks higher in most people’s minds than the fear of death. “In other words, at a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to conquer your fear of public speaking and start capitalizing on those great opportunities that come your way. Patricia Stark, the founder of Media Image Coach.com, has empowered and esteemed top Television Hosts, News Anchors, Broadway performers, CEO’s, Authors, Medical Professionals, Sales Professionals and many of the 80% of American’s who fear public speaking. 

Patricia Stark is a fun, sharp, and approachable television host & actor. A former Miss New York, El Salvador Karaoke Contest Winner, News Anchor, and eye ball shaking champion, Patricia has served as host for several nationally distributed programs airing in the U.S. and Canada. Most recent news: Patricia recently completed a pilot for The Learning Channel as a career coach bringing her experience as founder of MediaImageCoach.com hosting the new show “Paycheck Showdown”. 

Let’s ask her some questions and find out some ways to overcome our fear of public speaking.

JF: Thanks so much for appearing on our show Patricia. Why do business professionals have a fear of public speaking?

PS: Public Speaking is generally outside of our comfort zone, and whenever we are out of our comfort zone, anxiety escalates causing our fear.

JF: How extensive is the fear of public speaking?

PS: Many polls have shown Public Speaking as our number one fear in life, in fact it ranks higher than the fear of dying, drowning, insects, and other fears.

JF: What steps can we take to overcome our fear of public speaking?

PS: One of the first and very important steps is to not make the presentation about our self, make it more about delivering something of value to your audience. Instead of concentrating on “What if I stink?” make the presentation about “How can I benefit my audience” and shift the focus away from stressing yourself to how to benefit the audience.

JF: Tell us how you work with a client?

PS: I feel it is important to bring them into an environment where they can practice and visualize their presentation. This helps build confidence and a comfort zone which helps reduce the anxiety and stress of the presentation.

JF: Any Closing Comments?

PS: It is very important to practice and visualize your presentation to prepare, however, we must realize that none of us is perfect, so do the best job you can and deliver something of value to your audience.

JF: How would someone contact you?

I can be reached at patricia@mediaimagecoach.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Mediaimagecoach

Episode Links

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Video

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Podcast