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4/22/2007 3:37 AM

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By Christina Rexrode

St. Petersburg Times

I'm no great orator like Cicero or Patrick Henry. Heck, I wasn't even on the high school debate team.

But I've never really feared public speaking.

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And until recently, I never considered how that particular trepidation could really throw a roadblock in a person's career path. Then I talked to Dr. Stephen Chambers, a guy who'd rather run with the bulls in Pamplona blindfolded and on crutches than stand and address a crowd. His heart races whenever he has to just introduce himself at board meetings.

"Malignant stage fright," Chambers calls it.

"It's such a huge problem for people trying to climb the corporate ladder."

Jeff Davis, a senior coach at the Speech Improvement Co. in Tampa, agrees. "We have people come here and say, 'I have turned down two promotions because the next step is, I have to start making presentations,' " Davis said.

But Chambers, whose Chambers Medical Group has offices across the Tampa Bay area, is proof that a fear of public speaking doesn't have to consign you to a lifetime of making widgets.

Here's advice from Chambers and Davis on how to talk to strangers groups of them, even without getting tongue-tied:

Try "exposure therapy" by giving short speeches to small groups, like Toastmasters International, or to friends who can give feedback on a presentation. Then, when it's time for a real speech, you'll have the confidence that comes from practice.

n Before you speak, do some deep breathing exercises. That will help ensure that you have plenty of oxygen so you'll be less likely to clip your words or talk too fast.

n Don't view your nervousness as a flaw. "I can't guarantee that someone's fear will go away," Davis said. "But maybe you can channel your anxiety into a buzz."

n If you make big presentations infrequently, Chambers recommends getting a prescription for a beta blocker like Inderal. It decreases the physical signs of nervousness a racing heart, shaking hands, trembling voice and thus will help you feel more confident, he says.

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