Whether you believe the statistic that more people fear public speaking than they do death (41% vs 19%) or the 2011 Gallup poll that has fear of public speaking at 41% and fear of snakes at 50%, that is still a large number of fearful people when it comes to speaking on stage!
I love to do presentations and am never fearful when I get on stage and speak in front of audiences but it wasn’t always like this. I used to have to really force myself and push through the fear, I felt terribly uncomfortable and almost breathless. I also used to hate networking events and mingling. Then I discovered that I have pyroluria (see the pyroluria questionnaire here), a genetic condition that leads to anxiety, inner tension and feeling uncomfortable in crowds. By adding a few key nutrients – zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil – my pyroluric symptoms are completely in check, hence my calm in the face of speaking in public. I speak nationally about The Antianxiety Food Solution and always joke that I am Ms Antianxiety! I also have a new-found love of networking and meeting people!
Sontine is a client of mine who made diet changes, lifestyle changes like walking and added the key nutrients like zinc and vitamin B6 (and a few others) and found she too had no more fear of public speaking – and she actually started to really enjoy it! She also started to sleep well and had good energy. She was skeptical that this was possible for her but curiosity got the better of her and she’s so pleased with the results.
Here is Sontine’s story in her own words:
The first time I heard Trudy telling her personal story about anxiety and nutrition, I thought ‘that’s a really unique situation’. I believed it worked for her but that it was ‘just one in a million…it’s not going to work for most people and it’s not going to work for me’
After working with Trudy for 3 months I’ve had amazing changes:
- From exhausted to normal healthy energy
- Anxiety has decreased
- Mood and blood sugar has stabilized
- Sleeping better
- Completely lost my fear of public speaking which has plagued me my whole life! I was so terrified I avoided it as much as possible. Now I am not nervous and I enjoy it! It’s been amazing for me!
Sontine is also a busy mom with a busy job – like many of us are – but she made time to go for an evening walk with her young daughter and husband [we recorded this in December last year, hence the reference to Christmas lights] and says that such a small thing makes all the difference in how she feels. We know how beneficial exercise is for both mood and sleep
PS. I also added GABA, removed caffeine and removed gluten from my diet. Each person is unique and you will have to find your own unique nutritional approach.
So how are you when it comes to public speaking? And what do you do to stay calm?
If you’re fearful could pyroluria also be your problem?
Do you perhaps have clients who hate and fear public speaking?
