Are you confident in many other areas of life but there’s this one area that has you running for the door?
Giving a presentation. Speaking in meetings. What is commonly known as public speaking? Or any situation when all eyes are on you?
You may also experience:
- Rapid heartbeat (you may even have to take beta-blockers before a presentation
- Fear you’re going to get it wrong, or that other people are going to criticise your performance
- High levels of anxiety weeks before the event (you may even make excuses and duck out of it)
- Drying up completely, unable to think of what to say
- Blushing
- So distressed that you are unable to go on with your presentation, report or meeting and have to run for the door
A nightmare for many people
Perhaps you’ve been told that you need to improve your public speaking skills. And that makes you feel even more self-conscious and aware of your shortcomings.
You just wish there was some way to overcome your nerves.
Speaking in front of a group is an absolute nightmare for many people. Particularly if you have a love-hate relationship with the spotlight. Or you suffer from stage fright. Or you avoid any kind of situation where you’re required to perform.
For some people, it is experienced when out with a group of friends and in social situations or when speaking to just one person.
Many talented, quieter people experience this anxiety at work
In our communication-driven world, more and more people are being required to give presentations, and to speak up in meetings. To network and to be more visible socially.
You are not alone.
If you are a quieter person, then it is much more likely that you will experience this acute discomfort – particularly if you are an introvert. Your introverted brain is simply not wired for dealing with all that focus. See How an introvert can overcome their fear of the spotlight
It can feel like the world is pointing a very powerful camera at you and noticing everything you say and do. All you can focus on is the ongoing commentary going on in your head about what that camera is saying and thinking about you. And it feels very real.
Even though there may be no evidence out there in the world that other people are saying and thinking these things, there is a part of you absolutely believes that this is happening.
It’s not fair!
It is simply not fair that introverts and shy people are required to do these nerve-wracking activities. And yet, there’s no changing the current world. It’s either sink or swim.
As a result, highly talented, quieter people are often overlooked. You may have experienced this yourself. Find it hard to climb the career ladder, however hard you work. You may also find yourself being taken advantage of by your employer and never receive the recognition you deserve.
You can overcome these difficulties
However just because you are quiet, shy or an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t excel at speaking. In fact, introverts make excellent public speakers.
It can be done and much easier than you would think.
Countless shy and introverted people have triumphed over their fears. Most, however, have had to retrain their introverted brain to deal with the high levels of stimulation experienced when being in the spotlight.
It changed my life
I did it as a shy introvert, and it has changed my life.
Otherwise, I’d still be stuck on the sidelines. I’d still be overlooked because I was too scared to stick my head above the parapet.
It was the experience of overcoming my limitations through the power of drama that inspired me to develop the Sunflower Effect. In fact, I would never be doing the work I’m doing now if I hadn’t overcome my fear of speaking in front of groups.
I would never have become a performer or a playwright. I would never have appeared on TV or the Radio. I would never have been featured in women’s magazines. I would never have given presentations at large events. Or run prestigious programmes in business for advertising professionals, CEOs, Organisational Development Consultants and Innovators etc.
I just wouldn’t have had the courage to do such challenging things.
My experience of overcoming my fear of speaking in front of groups has enabled me to put together all I had learned in a format that would enable people like you to overcome your nerves. And that would save you all the hard learning experiences that I went through.
You can do it
And so can you. You just need a safe space to get more comfortable in the spotlight. And overcome the blocks that are creating your acute anxiety symptoms. There is no reason why you can’t achieve all the things you want to achieve in your career and personal life.
And as my participants tell me, not many public speaking courses produce such significant results.
How you can overcome your fear of speaking in front of groups
My 12-week course, Finding Your Voice is specifically designed for quiet and introverted people to develop an assured self-confidence. That may be delivering a presentation, speaking up in meetings or when you are out with a group of friends.
The course provides a safe haven for you to free up your voice. To let go of inhibitions. And to find your authentic voice. It is also a place where you will be able to uncover any vocal blocks that will enable you to communicate with full power.
It will support you in facing your fear of being in the spotlight – so you can overcome stage fright and truly allow yourself to be seen and your voice to be heard.
It is different from other public speaking courses in that it works through The Sunflower Effect, the highly effective confidence-building system I have developed over 20 years. My clients tell me, that it is the only course that actually dissolves the nerves and anxiety that is the source of the problem.
This is because it works directly with the triggers that activate the Sympathetic Nervous System. The Sunflower Effect uses an adapted form of drama to achieve this remarkable shift. No previous experience of drama is needed.
And as my participants tell me, few public speaking courses produce such significant results.
Having tried multiple variations of therapy, most of which came at a very high price, I found Claire, the course and the group, one of the most effective ways to help manage my anxiety. I find myself now, much more confident in trusting my instinct and knowing what to say…It’s been 20 years of dealing with a common thread of negative self talk so thank you Claire, for helping me shift something that once seemed impossible.
Tandy Davies, Hospitality
Thanks again for everything you have taught us over the past 12 weeks. For me it has been by far the most valuable course to help me understand and overcome my speaking fears.
Lorna Good, Finance Business Partner
I also have a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t get anything out of the course.
If you experience extreme anxiety symptoms – this is not going to shift overnight. You may need to do some individual sessions to get to the bottom of what is fuelling your symptoms.
Sustained change over a period of time is what leads to long-lasting change.
Alternatives to the Finding Your Voice Course
Do you experience shyness, self-consciousness or social anxiety as well?
If so, it may be better to start off with the Breakthrough Group or the Express Yourself Workshop before moving onto Finding Your Voice. Particularly if the prospect of doing drama is challenging.
Doing the Breakthrough Group will enable you to overcome the acute aspects of your self-consciousness and the blocks that are undermining your confidence. It will also ease you a little more gently into the drama so you
Speaking Under Pressure
For some people, it is the difficulty of speaking “off the cuff” when under pressure. This is covered in Finding Your Voice, but we go into it in much further depth in the I Don’t Know What to Say Improvisation course.
Many participants do both courses as they work very well together.
Express Yourself Confidence Workshop
In this one-day confidence-building workshop you will be discovering the keys to an authentic confidence based on Claire’s experiences of being a shy introvert and what really worked in getting her out of her shell.
Breakthrough Group
Shy, self-conscious or anxious people. Many people have come into this course absolutely frozen with fear, and by the end of the course have completely put their fears and inhibitions behind them.
“I Don’t Know What To Say”
Do you struggle in social situations? Never again be stumped for something to say. This Improvisation for Social Confidence course is the most effective way I know of getting over the “I don’t know what to say” syndrome.
Set up a time to speak to me
If you’re not sure which course is right for you, you can set up a time to speak to me. It’s free. So I can get more of a sense of the challenges you are facing, and which course will serve you better.