Alex Lambert has a great, smokey voice. He was one of the best singers on American Idol, so why did he get eliminated? For the same reason many presenters get eliminated from achieving their objectives…….. nervousness. When Alex performed, he sounded terrific, but he looked pale, stiff, and lifeless. He had no personality at all. Judge Simon Cowell gave him some advice that works for presenters too: “Take yourself to another place.” If Adam had imagined that he was in his bedroom singing away or performing in his favorite bar, he could have put some life into the song. I …

Why are people so fearful of speaking?  Jeremy, a student at Rutgers, phoned and asked me this question for a class research paper.  I have to admit that I paused for a while.  In all my years of training, no one asked me this very simple question.  I explained that I did not have any research to back up my hunch…. But here goes:
 I think it’s all about judgment and peer pressure.  Little kids in Kindergarten do not seem to have a fear of speaking in front of their class for show-and-tell.  A five-year old will freely talk about the …

My dog, Indy, has taught me more about handling nervousness than all the corporate executives I have worked with in the last 30 years. Indy and I compete in dog agility. Perhaps you have seen it on tv – the dogs race through an obstacle course of jumps, tunnels, see-saw, weave poles, etc. At least once or twice a month you can find us at a local, regional or national competition. Indy is extremely talented, but quirky. If he detects the least amount of nervousness on my part, he will not perform to his full …