Dissolve your Fear of Public Speaking so That You can Achieve your Goals and Follow your Dreams
Journey to Confidence is a 12 week small group program for introverts who suffer from the fear of public speaking
Is the fear of public speaking holding you back?
Can you relate to what these people are saying?
“I become so nervous that I forget what I’m supposed to say next. I’m avoiding speaking opportunities that would help me in my career.”
“Whenever I start so speak, I go bright red. So now I don’t even speak up in meetings. I’ve got lots of good ideas, but nobody ever hears about them.”
“I fear sounding stupid or tripping over my words. I can feel my voice get shaky, then I rush to get the whole thing over with. If I could get over this I would have the confidence to do what is most important to me.”
There’s nothing wrong with you
Maybe you’ve been feeling that there’s something wrong with you for feeling so frightened. Other people seem to do it so easily.
Here’s the first thing I want you to know:
You are not broken.
You are not unworthy.
You are not incompetent.
And finally, you’re not alone. You are suffering from a normal human fear.
The second thing I want you to know is this:
You are not stuck in this place.
This is something that you can change.
Shonda Rhimes is the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and an avowed introvert. She writes in her book “The Year of Yes”:
“I was a walking panic attack. My stage fright was so complete and overwhelming that it ruled my every public appearance.”
Then Shonda’s sister observes how small her life has become and Shonda decides to say “yes” to every invitation. This culminates in her being asked to give the Commencement Address at Dartmouth University. Here’s what she says:
“And for the first time in my life, I stand on a stage and raise my voice to the public with full confidence and not an inch of panic. For the first time in my life, I speak to an an audience as myself and feel joy.”
Susan Cain is the author of the best selling book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World which can’t Stop Talking.”
In the book she recalls the night before her first big speech:
“It’s 2.00am, I can’t sleep, and I want to die…What if my mouth dries up and I can’t get any words out? What if I bore the audience? What if I throw up on stage?”
Susan took part in a face to face class involving desensitization (I’ll say more about what this is below). Here’s what she says now:
“Since then I’ve done plenty of speaking, to groups of tens and crowds of hundreds. I’ve come to embrace the power of the podium”
So how did Shonda Rhimes and Susan Cain manage to overcome their fear of public speaking? They both did it by facing their fear and taking action.
Journey to Confidence is a program to have you in action too.
Journey to Confidence is based on this central idea:
We don’t have a fear of public speaking.
We have a fear of disapproval.
Let me explain. We are social animals. We evolved to work together to get the food we needed and to protect ourselves from predators. If we weren’t part of a cooperative group, our survival was at risk. That meant that in evolutionary times, it was imperative to belong to a group. And in order to belong, we needed to be approved of by the rest of the members of our group.
As a result of this evolutionary history, we have a strong need to be approved of. And when you put yourself in front of a group, you’re risking disapproval from every member of that group.
Though you can’t get rid of the need for approval entirely, you can significantly reduce your need for approval from your audience.
Once you no longer have such a strong fear of disapproval from your audience, you’ll no longer feel such strong fear and anxiety about speaking in front of them.
In Journey to Confidence you’ll immunize yourself against that fear of disapproval.
Here’s what I mean by immunizing yourself against the fear of disapproval.
This breaks my heart. All these talented women with so much potential and gifts to offer the world, but blocked by their fear of public speaking. That’s why I decided to create Journey to Confidence, a small group program for introvert women.
I have put together everything that I’ve learnt over the last 20 years of working with women who want to get more confident around public speaking into this program. In that time, I’ve tried out many different psychological strategies to help both myself and my clients.
In Journey to Confidence I’ve combined the most effective of those strategies into one program.
Combine that, with the support of a small group, accountability and guidance and coaching from myself.
At the heart of the Journey to Confidence program is this: We don’t have a fear of public speaking, we have a fear of disapproval.
In the program you’ll learn a step-by-step process for slowly immunizing yourself against the fear of disapproval. I call it the Disapproval Immunisation Process.
This program is not easy, it will involve discomfort. I love what Susan David has to say about this ‘The only people who never feel discomfort are dead people. No-one ever got anywhere that mattered without … discomfort. Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.”
Pay what you can
The payment for Journey to Confidence is probably a little bit different to what you’re used to. I’m experimenting!
Ihave two principles:
1. I want everyone who is committed to being a student on Journey to Confidence to be able to, irrespective of their financial resources.
2. i want everyone to make some financial commitment. The reason for this is that it’s important for you to make a commitment to this program – at times it will get uncomfortable and your financial commitment will carry you through.
I’ve estimated the market value of this program at US$1,000. This is based on the 12 week length of the program, the support I will be providing and the value that it can bring to your life. Because it is a beta version of the program, I’m offering for this time only at $500.
So if you’re at a higher income level (above US$70,000), this is my suggestion for what you should pay.
For other income levels, this is what I suggest. However, what you pay is up to you – I’m not going to ask you to prove it!
- US$70,000+: US$500
- US$60,000 – 69,999: $400
- US$50,000- 59,999: $300
- US$40,000 – 49,999: $200
- US$30,000 – 39,999: $100
- US$0-29,999: US$10 (this is only for you if you live in a developing country, or are unemployed in a developed country)
I want your payment to be a stretch for you, but not cause you any hardship.
The payment software I’m using also allows you to specify your own price. So you can choose something in between my suggested tiers, and you can choose to pay more
The cost of Journey to Confidence is US$497. I’ve decided on this price based on:
- The value that I have packed into it
- The impact that it can have in your life
- It’s the first time that I’m offering the program so I have reduced the cost.
- In today’s market-based culture commitment is reflected in what we pay for something. For example, you might choose to pay for a gym membership to strengthen your commitment to go to the gym regularly. So I want the cost to reflect a significant commitment.
However, I get that for some people this will put the program out of reach. If you are determined to do this program but can’t afford this cost, then let me know and we will jointly decide on a price that reflects your commitment and is affordable for you.
Why is this for women only?
Why do you not have any testimonials on this page?
How much time each week will the program take?
What time will the weekly meetings be?
I will run the weekly meetings twice at two different times, so that hopefully wherever you are in the world there is a time at which you can attend live. I will decide on the times when I see the time zones of those who have enrolled. However, with the best will in the world it may be difficult to find times when everyone can attend live.
All the weekly meetings will be recorded and posted on the program website.
Do you offer a refund?
Yes. I understand that you may enroll in the program with great enthusiasm and then realise that it isn’t for you, or you don’t resonate with my style of teaching and coaching. Or you may realise the timing isn’t right, or life gets in the way.
My refund policy is that you can get a refund for up to 60 days after the start of the program.
I trust you not to take advantage of this. Downloading all the materials and then asking for a refund would not be a cool move.
How can an online program help me with the fear of public speaking?
Three are three elements to managing the fear of public speaking:
- Managing your emotions
- Managing your thoughts
- Taking small, strategic actions.
I’ll be teaching you the most effective strategies for managing your emotions and thoughts and guiding you into exactly which actions you take.