Episode 88: How To Overcome The Fear Of Public Speaking with Billie Shepard

Did you know that according to several research studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. 

Number two is death. So, that means, as Jerry Seinfeld famously said, “...if you're at a funeral, it's better to be the deceased in the casket than the person giving the eulogy”.

Stage fright is real, but the good news is you can overcome the fear of speaking publicly. More importantly, you have to remind yourself that you aren’t the only one feeling afraid.

In this episode, Billie Shepard, author of The Billie Shepard Presentation Method, shares with our listeners some tips and tools to help you get past any fears of speaking and become better presenters, leaders, collaborators, and communicators. Billie has been a presentation coach, as well as a professional actor and acting coach for over 30 years. She’s also worked with clients like Uber, Facebook, Cisco, Intuit, and Splunk to name a few, as well as, thousands of professional actors.

 

Highlights:

[02:16] Billie’s journey

[05:29] Intention removes fear

[10:15] Overcoming the fear of public speaking

[14:31] Tips for impromptu Q&A

[17:36] Biggest challenges in presenting

[20:29] Preparing for the presentation

[25:10] Tips on projecting your message

[30:06] Practical tips for Zoom meetings

Quotes:

“The key to intention is that it removes all fear.”– Billie Shepard

“The difference between having an intention and tying it to a feeling is the difference between being brilliant and being good.” - Billie Shepard

“Projecting your voice isn't something to fear. It's something to free your personality and energy.” – Billie Shepard

“When preparing for a presentation, NEVER start with the slides, the slides are there to support your soul and your message.” - Billie Shepard

“People may forget what you’ve said, but they never forget how you made them feel.” – Billie Shepard

 

About Billie Shepard:

Billie delivers a coaching experience that transforms how an actor acts and business people communicate. 

Clients have said, “It seems she has a mysterious or supernatural power that influences the creativity, confidence and best abilities of a speaker or performer. What Billie does is magical.”

Billie has been a professional actor for over forty years, appearing in lead roles in Equity productions, featured television appearances and numerous national and regional commercials. An acting coach for decades, she founded two acting academies and five acting workshops in four states. Billie has produced and hosted guest-artist workshops including such notable instructors as Academy Award winner, Alan Arkin.

Twenty years ago Billie had an idea. She founded Billie Shepard & Associates, leveraging her acting experience and unique training methods into the business arena; transforming corporate speakers into influential leaders. Her clients include Facebook, Uber, Intuit, Rackspace, Lockheed Martin, as well as many financial and medical research companies. This March Billie had another idea! She merged her presentation-training methods with the virtual needs of our times and created a powerful blend of the two.

Her book: The Billie Shepard Presentation Method, describing her methods, and participant breakthrough stories of success, recently launched on Amazon. 

Billie is a Dean’s Scholar with a BA in Creative Arts and Masters in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University.

BILLIE’S WEBSITE: WWW.BILLIESHEPARD.COM

 

Links:

Website: http://www.billieshepard.com/

LinkedIn: billie-shepard-and-associates-59b3534

Facebook: Billie Shepard & Associates