Talk Show Conquer public-speaking paranoia

If the thought of addressing an audience makes you sweatbullets, you're not alone. Forty million Americans are soterrified of speaking to a group, they'd do almost anything toavoid it. In fact, according to an oft-cited study done by pollingfirm Brushkin-Goldring, more people said they feared publicspeaking than feared death.

Philippe Clarke, 35, used to be one of those people. Prior tofounding IBT Group Inc., a training and promotions consulting firmin Falls Church, Virginia, in 1995, Clarke gave--or, as he puts it,tried to give--a speech on current affairs to a group of 50politicians. "I was so nervous that my eyes actually sawnothing but yellow, and therefore, I couldn't see thecrowd," Clark recalls. "I ended up spieling out this, youknow, rehearsed speech--and I wasn't even facing the audience.I was actually slightly turned to the wall."

Why do people clam up? The primary reason, says Lilyan Wilder,author of 7 Steps to Fearless Speaking and a consultant tobroadcast correspondents at ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, is that manypeople dread feeling isolated when they're the focal point in aroom. "If you're seated--especially if you're behind atable--you have protection. You're on an equal basis with thepeople you're speaking to around the table," says Wilder."But when you stand up, the pressure's on: You've gotto be the leader. You've got to show the way. Then you suddenlyfeel the palpitations, you get short of breath, your hands mayshake and knees buckle."