Someone recently reached out about having a panic attack while speaking publicly and if you could ever come back from that. Here’s what I told her and something I think you should all consider: First, having a panic attack at any point is rough. Recovery from that should be prioritized. You may not want to go back to the way things were because that’s associated with trauma. Have you considered unpacking the history that got you there? A few questions to ask to help you unpack: 1. When did this start? (Think back to the earliest moment of this fear of public speaking. What happened? Who was involved? Why did it have such a lasting effect?) 2. What’s in my mind before I speak? (Week before? Day before? Moment before going on stage?) 3. What are your fears while performing? (People? Messing up? Sounding inadequate? Losing credibility?) 4. What do you do after it’s over (the speaking segment)? (Are you ruminating? If so, negatively or positively? Any second guessing? These questions can help you really get to the source of the problem, rather than treating surface level issues. Consider, using these and a diaphragmatic breathing approach to get your mind and body in sync and calm. The problem is psychological first, then physical second. I finished building a system to help recover psychologically from a bad public speaking history. It’s called the Calm to Clear Reset System. Check it out here: https://calmtoclear.com Hope this helps someone!

When you have to do something you really don’t like doing, it can be difficult to conjure up the right amount of energy and authenticity. Why? Your body and mind are already looking for an escape. Speaking in front of people gets exponentially more difficult when you don’t want to do it. Our brains tell us things like… - They’re looking at you weird - You’re talking too long - They don’t care - They’re judging you and how you sound - They don’t believe you know what you’re talking about and aren’t listening We have to grapple our psychological history before we can dominate our actual present. 3 Questions to address your mind before you speak: 1. What bothers you the most about this speaking opportunity and why? 2. What’s most important to the people in the room? 3. In the end, what do I NEED them to remember? These questions will allow you to push your mind from the avoidance based space to the service mentality (which makes the task about your audience and NOT you). Let me know if this helps in any way 😊

Most people attack their public speaking woes by addressing the physical nature and feeling after the event happens and they’re affected. My approach is always attacking it psychologically first and then physically. We often defeat ourselves before and after the speaking event happens. Closing the psychological gap will exponentially improve your ability to speak because you’re addressing the system that triggers the fear rather than would itself. While this is simple, it’s it not always easy and takes time and courage: Step 1: Dig deep into your emotional response: What happens when you’re told you have to speak? What are you feeling when you come to the realization that it’s happening and you can’t get out of it? What are your first thoughts? Why do you feel that way? What happened in your past that created this level of thinking towards your ability to speak publicly? (Could be as simple as you were watching a show, saw someone get ridiculed, and have been afraid ever since) Step 2: Light Exposure Therapy You need to revisit the scene of the crime. To address the issue, we must replicate the situation in small controlled environments. Friends and family as a small group where you can practice, see what happens, document how you feel. Get feedback from your audience: how you look, sound, what they understand/remember about your presentation. SRA is building a program to help more people. Will share more at a later time but in the meantime I hope this helps you and you apply it.

This will be difficult for some but if you can do this one thing in a regimented manner, you will increase your ability to communicate your message exponentially in a shorter amount of time. That thing is… Exposure therapy! Small increments of practical action. Talking in front of friends or family is a great start. Placing yourself at the scene of the crime is how you discover what really happened! You have to really dig in psychologically: - What are you thinking when it’s time to speak? - What’s on your mind before you speak? - What are you afraid will happen? - Anything you’re trying to avoid? Understanding your mental process will unpack the correct solution. That’s why exposure therapy works so well. It replicates the action to uncover the problem. If you’d be interested in a free 1 Week Training where we practice exposure therapy in a safe, judgement free, virtual space, comment “speak” below 👇🏾

**Diamond Method**: Ist Base: Start with your main point first (the MOST IMPORTANT). 2nd Base: Supporting Info (1-2 sentences max) 3rd Base: Give an applicable example Home: Back to your MOST important point. Try your best to keep each to 1 sentence and see how you sound! This method allows you to be in control, not over-explain, and get your points off in a way that commands the audience! *Remember, speaking is easy. It's our brains that make it hard.* To book a 1 on 1 session: https://scheduler.zoom.us/jon-mcleod/strategy-session