“I’m terrified of public speaking”
Award-winning coach Kim Morgan helps one anxious woman overcome her phobia of talking in public
ILLUSTRATION ANDREA DE SANTIS
COACHING SESSION
1My ‘dream job’ is not a dream job
Karen* had just landed her dream job, working for a charity which supported elderly people. She was passionate about the cause and had wanted to move into the charity sector, having become disillusioned working for a large multinational company. Karen had not appreciated until she took up the post that part of her role entailed giving regular talks about the work of the charity.
In our first session, Karen told me, ‘I thought I’d found the perfect job but I’m terrified of speaking in public.’ She’d spoken to her new boss about it, who said that Karen would be fine as she has a bubbly personality. ‘It’s not about my personality,’ Karen said. ‘My personality disappears when I have to speak in front of a group. Even if I have to introduce myself as a delegate on a course, I get anxious and my face and neck go blotchy.’