The Science

Demystifying The Brain

How then does the original Natalie H. Rogers Talkpower: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking training methodology,  work? 

 

For the past twenty years, much scientific interest and research have occurred for the purpose of discovering and demystifying the enigma of the brain. I have tried to follow the path of this research by studying the work of Dr. Eric R. Kandel, professor at Columbia  University in the Center for Neurobiology and behavior. Through his experimentation with the gill- withdrawal reflex of the Sea Slug he has shown that new neural connections can be made to grow in response to experience. This provides us with an objective model of what happens during the Panic Clinic Training process for reducing and eliminate most aspects of mild to severe long and short term intensive anxiety in front of an audience or at a meeting.

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WHY YOU ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC

 

When I first began training people who had a fear of Public Speaking with my workshop Talkpower: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking I spent a great deal of time thinking about, and observing people who had this problem and asking the question ”Why are so many people afraid to speak in front of people who are looking at them and what can be done about it?” My work which has included interviewing thousands of students over the past thirty years tells me that fear of speaking in public is a post-traumatic stress reaction to various kinds of punishment, humiliation, bullying and criticisms experienced in early childhood through parental, sibling, other family members abuse or school related bullying by other students or by teachers. In addition, many people with foreign accents are also the victims of bullying and humiliation and as a result, develop Public Speaking Phobia as well as people who believe that they were born this way or that it is their nature. Well, I am here to tell you that this idea is totally untrue. 

 

YOU WERE BORN LOUDLY EXPRESSING YOURSELF 

 

All healthy babies are born kicking and screaming, expressing themselves by loudly crying to their hearts content, uncensored and unashamed when they are hungry, tired, wet or for some other reason uncomfortable until they ae placated or………..forcibly SHUT UP  Babies have no reason to self censor themselves. So the question arises and you all should ask yourselves this question When and how was I shut up.  When and how was I made to feel afraid or ashamed or unqualified to give my opinion, express a preference or just to talk. Who did this to me? Was it an overly perfectionistic mom or a drinking dad or visa versa or both? Was it my older sister or brother. Was it that teacher in second grade who made fun of me because I was a bad speller or was it the kids in school or on my street who bullied me because I was chubby or wore glasses or was skinny or too short or too tall.? 

 

Well as a therapist let me tell you that you can go to therapy every day for the rest of your life and you still will not be able to speak in public because this post traumatic reaction is embedded in your brain and talking to someone may make you feel better for a few hours but it will never take away your Public Speaking phobia one bit and that is why if you have attended any of the many Standard public speaking classes even the ones who promise to eliminate your fear of Speaking in public you have found that if they are based upon counseling or advise or meditation or positive thinking or visualization, these approaches have not worked. 

 

HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS AND CHANGES:

 

The effect of the Panic Clinic training protocols, upon brain development, ultimately results in new skills that enable you to have the ability to face an audience and speak confidently with natural fluent speech. If we build on Dr. KandeI’s theory, the systematic repetition of the training exercises probably alters the functional connections between neurons and then repatterns these functional changes in the actual structure of the cerebral cortex. (The upper part of the human brain) And so I am theorizing that Memory Centers of the brain have probably responded to the effect of the intensive and repetitive concentration exercises and the other drills and routines as presented in the Talkpower PANIC CLINIC Workshop by becoming infused with enzymes and markers which are associated with the initiation and protection of neurons. As a result, these Panic Clinic repetitive training processes are able to effectively increase molecular activity also called Plasticity, causing new calm and fluent speaking behavior to be integrated into the students repertoire as permanently learned “Muscle Memory” behavior. This would explain how such a dramatic transformation can occur in just one weekend for 95% of the participants who have suffered from public speaking phobia for most of their lives.

 

That is my theoretical explanation of how after participating in the   Talkpower repetitive drills and exercises, the previously fearful and avoidant students were able to think and talk naturally and easily when facing an audience.

 

Because of the proprietary nature of these original exercises, drills and routines I am not at liberty to describe them  here with more specificity

 

 

What will work

 

A methodology that will significantly change your phobic response to speaking in front of an audience, is one that offers techniques that will develop new pathways in your brain directing your attention away from your fearful thoughts about the audience. In this way you will not experience the fearful responses like rapid heartbeat and loss of concentration, that accompanies your fearful thoughts. As a result you will be able to concentrate, thinking and speaking in front of people who are looking at you.  

 

Talkpower offers this innovative methodology in the Talkpower: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking Workshop. Either in the two day fourteen hour weekend workshop or the Skype one on one with Ms. Rogers. 

 

Synthesizing and systematizing my experience as the Artistic Director of the Dove Theatre Company in St. Peters Church in New York City,  my training as a Method Actress and acting teacher, my Clinical experience as a Behavioral  Psychotherapist MSW, CSW, my professional experience as the founder of Talkpower: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking, training thousands of Talkpower participants over a 30 year period, my experience as a longtime Yoga practitioner, and my passion to observe and imagine new ways to respond to previously insoluble problems with my intuitive and creative ability I developed the Talkpower: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking and so although my first book "Talkpower: How To Speak Without Fear" “Dodd Mead“ 1982 was aimed at professionals who had a fear of public speaking, it seems to have been based upon the very same Neuro Scientific methodology that works so successfully for people who stutter when they participate in that Stop That Stutter Program

 

My book, Talkpower: The Mind-Body Way To Speak Without Fear Capital Books, published in twelve languages describes the Talkpower program and  is now available on Amazon as well as the E Book Talkpower,  A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking 

 

A UNIQUE POPULATION

 

 May I say that although my observations are all anecdotal over the many years of my career  I have had and still have the rare privilege of working with a significant number of high functioning professionals during which time I have observed consistently transformative brain remodeling results in clients who stutter as well as speech phobic individuals. This kind of opportunity for the observation of such transformative results in such a large and  elite population over a lengthy period of time is highly unusual, and not one that is commonly experienced in laboratory studies

 

BIO   

 

I am Natalie H. Rogers, MSW, CSW, founder of Talk Power: A Panic Clinic For Public Speaking My books, Talkpower How to Speak Without Fear and The New Talk Power The Mind-Body Way To Speak Without Fear has been published in 12 languages                                                                             

 

In addition to more than 30 years of experience, conducting my Talkpower Workshops, for the public and for various companies, I have worked as a consultant for the American Express Company for nine years where I conducted countless Talkpower programs under the name  "Stress Seminars For Public Speaking." Stop That Stutter One on One training sessions with me Natalie H.Rogers are conveniently available internationally on Skype.