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Do You Have Public Speaking Jitters? Well, There Isn't An App For That

by Cheryl Elias

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you suffer this anxiety on occasion, or worse if you suffer it often, you have a lot of company.

It's a fear of speaking in public, or in any setting, that puts the spotlight on you and what you have to say. In fact, this fear is regarded as the top anxiety suffered by millions of people.

And "There's NOT An APP For That," which is the title of a book by communications consultant Cary Pfeffer, who spent years learning and practicing effective communication as a West Coast TV reporter.

Don't try to fake it he says, "Once you're comfortable you're so much more effective, you're so much more yourself and therefore you get to the places you want to go. You get the raise, you get the promotion, you get that new job."

But how do you get into this comfort zone? Pfeffer believes that when you're preparing to interview, speak at work, or before a large audience of strangers, nothing works its magic like practice. Grab a trusted friend or a video camera and give it a go until it looks and feels right.

Like it or not, Pfeffer reminds us that first impressions do matter because it's the way our brain works. The brain is making judgments all the time about people, even when we're walking down the street. Just accept this fact and keep on walking in the direction of a memorable communicator.

In today's business world, especially during a job search, you may be wondering what to do to create a lasting impression beyond the resume.

"It's so much about NOT what's on your resume necessarily or the university you graduated from. Instead, how do you tell your story and do you tell it in a way that's going to stand out from the maybe ten fifteen hundred three thousand other people who are hoping to get that same job", Pfeffer says.

Pfeffer says there's no substitute for sincerity and "There's NOT An APP For That. "

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