Public speaking anxiety feels the same, whether you are speaking to a live group, in a virtual meeting or even just on a telephone conference. Anytime you become the center of attention, psychophysical energy is going to get stirred up inside your body and your mind. If you are susceptible to stage fright and public speaking anxiety, the sensation is going to be the same no matter what venue you’re in. You will tend interpret the inner sensations as wrong or negative and experience a sense of danger.
Because the sensations, thoughts and emotions are the same, you can deal with them in the same way. You don’t have to take different stage fright programs to work on virtual meetings, live speaking and teleconferencing. The Sandra Zimmer Method Public Speaking Experience guides you to learn to manage those inner experiences. Even more, it helps you transform them from anxiety to excitement and from tension into flow where you feel safe and more comfortable to be the center of attention.
When you become comfortable being who you are at the center of attention, your thoughts and your speech free up, so you can flow them easily, regardless of the venue in which you are speaking.
A Little Neuroscience Lesson
There is some interesting neuroscience which sheds some light on how the Central Nervous System reacts to danger. Neurobiologist Dr. Stephen Porges has done extensive research on how the vagus nerve responds unconsciously, that is below the level of consciousness, to detect either danger or safety. Porges says, “When we are in safe states, we can access higher cortical functions but when we are in danger states, those systems turn off and we are defensive.” When a person is being evaluated, as in a public speaking situation or an interview, their central nervous system is going to sense potential danger. That will of course cause tension and anxiety. So the venue won’t matter. The feeling will be the same.
Dr. Porges’ research, which he calls the Polyvagal Theory, also shows that once a person feels safe in an environment, their Social Engagement System is activated. They then feel free to express themselves and to connect with other people. You could say they come out to play with other humans. From a public speaking anxiety standpoint, we first need to learn to feel safe being who we are at the center of attention so we can express ourselves freely in front of other humans.
The Sandra Zimmer Method is about Learning to Feel Safe at the Center of Attention
In the Sandra Zimmer Method to transform public speaking anxiety, you are first learning to develop a sense of safety in front of a group. Feeling safe to be yourself makes learning to speak in front of groups significantly easier because your neurobiological Social Engagement System turns on.
Whether you are speaking in virtual groups, live groups, or even on the telephone call, my Sandra Zimmer Method will free you up to speak authentically with passion and flow. I have utilized this approach to training professionals to speak in hundreds of groups with thousands of individuals. The results have been remarkable.
This week, I was thrilled to hear a story about a participant from one of my SZM public speaking corporate training courses around 12 years ago. He was among the most anxious and scared of the entire cohort of this construction company’s employees. Yet, he really shined in my classes. He now teaches construction sciences at a major Texas university. I heard he still uses techniques he learned from my course. Hearing his story made me feel happy and proud!
No matter what venue you are speaking in, whether live, virtual or phone conference, public speaking anxiety feels the same. If you are experiencing a lot of public speaking anxiety, and you’ve tried all kinds of things to overcome it, and nothing has worked so far, take a look at my Sandra Zimmer Method Public Speaking Experience. There’s a virtual and a live group starting soon.
About Sandra Zimmer
Sandra Zimmer coaches leaders to speak from their zone of brilliance. Through her gentle style, she calms your nerves and gives you the confidence to speak authentically and reach beyond what you thought you could do. She teaches you public speaking, vocal power, accent reduction, message clarity storytelling and leadership presence as pathways to transformation. You learn to speak from your most clear, calm and brilliant self. She is the author of the book “It’s Your Time to Shine.” And the creator of the Sandra Zimmer Method. Find her at www.sandrazimmer.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrazimmer/. Call her at 281-293-7070 to explore your speech transformation.
