Guest: Dr Alexander McWilliam

All Episodes can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/⁠⁠⁠


All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠


Bio of Alex McWilliam
Dr Alexander McWilliam is founder and managing director of Improv4Business. It provides presentation and speaking training, including executive coaching, team sessions and bespoke programmes. It works primarily with B2B clients, from start-ups to multi-billion-pound organisations. These have included ITV, The Entertainer, Kenwood and Computacenter.

Dr McWilliam has a background in professional acting and improvisation, and is the only UK PhD graduate in “public-speaking anxiety and performing under pressure”.

What we Discussed:

00:00 Introduction
01:13 The Only UK PhD in Public Speaking Anxiety
02:37 Why Friends' Fear of Presenting Sparked His Research
04:22 The 3.5 Year Doctorate Journey
05:48 Brain Freeze: When Practice Meets Reality
07:15 The "Blank" Moment We All Experience
08:33 Being Selectively Shy
10:05 From Shy Kid to Door-to-Door Sales
11:42 How Stories We Tell Ourselves Hold Us Back
13:08 Why the Audience Isn't Your Enemy
14:35 Reading Faces Wrong: Crossed Arms Don't Mean Boredom
16:02 You Are Your Own Worst Critic
17:29 Why Audiences Want You to Succeed
19:03 The Power of Watching Yourself Back
20:38 Audiences Forgive Mistakes, Not Panic
22:04 Recovery Is What People Remember
23:41 When Speakers Freeze and Start Over
25:07 No One Has Your Script
26:34 Adapting When Time Gets Cut
28:01 Pressure Testing Your Presentations
29:38 Making Failure Fun in Safe Environments
31:05 The "Die" Exercise
32:42 Building Resilience Through Improv
34:09 Table Topics and Playfulness
35:46 Impromptu Speaking Builds Real Confidence
37:13 The Science of Self-Efficacy
38:40 Daily Impromptu Practice
40:07 Why Comedy Is Unforgiving
41:34 Group Failure Exercises
43:11 Surviving the Worst Case Scenario
44:38 Social Anxiety vs. Performance Anxiety
46:05 When Shyness Shows Up Selectively
47:32 Teenage Years and Peer Judgment
48:59 How School Experiences Shape Adult Fear
50:26 Domain-Specific Anxiety
51:53 The Public Speaking Threat Inventory
53:20 27 Items Across Three Domains
54:47 Finding Your Focus Area for Growth

How to Contact Alex McWilliam

https://www.improv4business.co.uk/

All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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