How to Overcome Public Speaking Fears

Do you have fear of public speaking?

Laura Whitelaw mentioned that many books have been written and courses developed to help people overcome public speaking fears. She has done some good research and made a point that "Practice can often help people to become successful at public speaking and so many people choose to join organizations such as Toastmasters. There are also many simple exercises that people can perform to help them become more confident at public speaking."

Here's what she found:
Top 10 Fears in America
Many people fear public speaking and it's been said that often, people fear public speaking more than death itself. Below are the top 10 fears of Americans according to a February 2001 Gallop Poll of 1,016 respondents.

1. Snakes - 51%
2. Speaking in public - 40%
3. Heights - 36%
4. Being closed in a small space - 34%
5. Spiders and insects - 27%
6. Needles and getting shots - 21%
7. Mice - 20%
8. Flying on a plane - 18%
9. Dogs - 11%
10. Thunder and lightning - 11%

Say, maybe that's why the movie, "Snakes on a Plane" made for such a great horror movie - LOL!

Release Your Fears with ZPoint
ZPoint is also very effective at helping people overcome public speaking fears. This energy clearing technique is a remarkable process that works at a very deep level of the subconscious mind. The process uses a cue word and when you repeat your cue word like a mantra after the practitioner repeats various statements, you release deeper and deeper layers of upset and eventually peel away all the layers of the "onion" of anxiety.

Picture Them in Their Underwear
Last week, my ten year old son had to do a school presentation on Medieval Monks. The morning of the presentation, he expressed that he felt anxious about presenting to his class. I had taken him through the ZPoint process before and so I suggested he repeat his "cue word" silently to himself several times while he focuses on his nervousness before he does his presentation. Then, I suggested that once he gets in front of the classroom, he could always try picturing everyone in the underwear which of course made him laugh.

Results from using ZPoint to Clear Public Speaking Fears
The end of the school day arrived and as I was walking home from the bus with my son, I asked him how his presentation went. He said, "Mum, I did what you said, I repeated my cue word before I had to get up in front of the class and I felt fine when I got up there. I didn't feel nervous at all and didn't even have to picture anyone in their underwear! And, everyone liked my presentation, even my teacher." I love how quickly and effectively energy techniques work with children. If only I knew about this stuff when I was his age.