“We live in a culture that celebrates people who speak up and present well in front of others, – it is an undeniable indispensable skill to have, but there’s not enough discussion or training in my opinion on how to do that!”
Tilly Smith, Founder, Empowered Public Speaking
Does the thought of speaking in public make your palms sweat, or worse – make you feel physically sick? Do you have sleepless nights before an important work presentation or delivering a speech at a wedding?
Rest assured, you’re not alone. In its most extreme form, the fear of public speaking is known as glossophobia and it is far more common than you might think. In fact, it’s ranked above flying and spiders as the number one fear in America!
While those who suffer from glossophobia experience particularly debilitating anxiety in the build up to and during public speaking, I believe most of us can relate to feeling at least a little bit nervous and uncomfortable before and/or during a public speaking occasion.
Having said that, I have also come across people who thrive in such environments. These individuals are excited by the prospect of speaking in front of an audience, are relaxed before they go on stage, exude confidence, and then deliver sensational presentations.
So why does speaking in public trigger so much anxiety for some, when others can make it look so easy?! What do they know and do that the rest of us don’t?!
And what is the difference between an amazing example of public speaking and a weak one?
These are things I’ve always been interested in – not just the psychology of someone who can captivate an audience, – but also what the recipe and processes are for brilliant, engaging, and successful presentations, regardless of the setting/context/audience size/demographic.
The truth is that I know I speak for most audiences when I say that I can tell within the first two minutes if someone is going to demand my attention and keep me interested in what they’re saying for the duration of their time in the spotlight, or not.
For a living, I have created, produced, and run events for almost 10 years. I have worked closely with and observed hundreds of speakers in an array of formats, and in a variety of settings – both corporate and social!
From my unique and fortunate position, I have witnessed the best in action, but I have also watched some not-so-brilliant examples of public speaking, and I can tell you why the former were fantastic, and where the latter lacked and what they can do to improve next time.
In short, regarding public speaking, I know what works, and what doesn’t, and why.
But it has also become clear to me that there are not enough resources or websites available to people who are actively trying to free themselves from the fear of public speaking and/or want to gain more information and learn how they can build their skills and confidence as a public speaker.
We live in a culture that celebrates people who speak up and present well in front of others, – it is an undeniable indispensable skill to have, but there’s not enough discussion or training in my opinion on how to do that!
So, this is why I decided to start Empowered Public Speaking.
I would love to be able to share my learnings, behind the scenes insights, and tricks of the trade with everyone so we can all have access to how to be amazing public speakers and deliver fantastic presentations in any setting and in front of anyone.
I believe a significant reason why a lot of us feel so nervous before public speaking is because we don’t know how to get it right. Until now!
I want to share knowledge, research, tips, recommendations, techniques, and tools that will help you to conquer nerves and fear so that you can shine as an authentic and empowered public speaker!
I will be sharing original content and research to guide and support you while also pointing you in the right direction of trustworthy and highly rated coaches, professional training programmes, solutions, and tools to get you well on your way to unleashing the incredible public speaker in you!
Thankfully, public speaking is a skill we can all learn and apply to any situation. We can always keep developing it too!
You can certainly overcome your fear of it no matter how debilitating and how daunting that may seem now.
I promise, it is possible, and it doesn’t have to hold you back any longer!!
So welcome and if you would like to join our community for exclusive content and workshops then please sign up here.
Wishing you all the best on your journey to becoming a confident, engaging, and authentic public speaker!
If you have any questions, concerns or would like to work together then please don’t hesitate to reach out.
All the best
Tilly x
Get started with my detailed free downloadable guide to public speaking by clicking here!
If you want more information on Glossophobia (the fear of public speaking), this is a really great website.
