What If You Weren’t Afraid to Stand in Front of a Room?

How One Conversation With My Doctor Changed My Professional Life

Sitting on a couch or having dinner with friends, I could talk forever without the slightest fear.

But put me in a meeting, a boardroom, someone’s living room at a political fundraiser, or behind a podium, and it was an entirely different story.

The sweat would pour off my forehead. My heart would pound so hard I was certain everyone could see it. My hands would shake. The question I wanted to ask would go unasked. The point I wanted to make would remain unspoken.

Classic stage fright. Sound familiar?

Public speaking routinely ranks among the things people fear most. There’s an old joke that at a funeral, many people would rather be in the casket than deliver the eulogy.

For me, that was hardly an exaggeration.

After graduating from college, I spent years avoiding situations where I might have to stand up and speak. That certainly didn’t help my career, to put it mildly.

I tried everything: getting a good night’s sleep, practicing in front of a mirror, controlled breathing. Nothing worked.

Then, quite by chance, I read an article in The New York Times about a prescription medication called propranolol. I asked my internist about it. His response was essentially, “Sure. Give it a try.”

My life changed.

Propranolol is a beta blocker, a medication used primarily for cardiovascular conditions. Physicians also prescribe it “off-label” for performance anxiety, including the kind experienced by musicians, performers and public speakers.

When taken in a low dose as prescribed by a physician, propranolol can reduce some of the physical symptoms of anxiety, including a pounding heart, shaking hands and a trembling voice.

Here’s why.

Since prehistoric times, when humans have been frightened or suddenly confronted with danger, our bodies have responded by releasing adrenaline into the bloodstream, triggering what is commonly known as the “fight-or-flight” response.

That surge of adrenaline can provide a temporary boost in strength, speed and alertness. Useful, perhaps, when fleeing a predator. Not so useful when standing before a roomful of attorneys.

In those circumstances, adrenaline can produce a racing heart, trembling hands, a shaky voice and other unmistakable signs of nervousness.

And here’s the cruel irony: The physical symptoms themselves can make us even more nervous. We become afraid not just of speaking, but of everyone noticing how frightened we are.

Propranolol is not a sedative. It works primarily by blocking certain effects of adrenaline, reducing the physical symptoms that can fuel that cycle of anxiety.

Think of it as putting a governor on an engine. The engine still runs, but something keeps it from revving quite so wildly.

For the next five or six years, whenever I had to give a presentation, or even attend a meeting where I might want to raise my hand and make a comment, I took propranolol beforehand, as prescribed by my doctor.

And suddenly, I could do it.

No pounding heart. No shaking hands. No torrent of sweat.

Most important, no fear of the fear.

I could concentrate on what I wanted to say instead of worrying about what my body might do.

As the years went by, I discovered I didn’t need the medication anymore. I had spoken successfully often enough that my confidence began to replace the fear.

I took my last propranolol sometime in the mid-1980s.

I didn’t keep track of my early presentations to law firms, bar associations and industry groups, but I was able to calculate that since 2015 alone, I’ve delivered more than 450 presentations.

All without a bead of nervous sweat or a racing heart.

The irony isn’t lost on me. A man who once avoided raising his hand at a meeting now earns part of his living standing in front of rooms filled with people.

I sometimes wonder how different my career might have been if I’d never found a way through that fear.

If stage fright is holding you back, I’d encourage you to ask yourself that same question, only looking forward instead of backward.

What might you do if you weren’t afraid to stand in front of a room?

Teach a CLE seminar? Make a persuasive argument before a judge or jury? Raise money for a nonprofit? Speak up at an important board meeting? Share an idea that might otherwise go unheard? Persuade others to follow your lead?

I’m not a physician, and I’m certainly not suggesting that medication should be anyone’s first response to nervousness.

Propranolol isn’t appropriate for everyone. Like any prescription medication, it has potential side effects and can pose risks for people with certain heart, blood-pressure or respiratory conditions. Nor is it a guaranteed solution to performance anxiety.

But stage fright is real. And for some people, under a physician’s supervision, beta blockers can help control its physical symptoms.

There are other approaches, too. Working with a qualified presentation or media trainer, practicing in supportive settings and developing effective speaking techniques can help build confidence. For some people, cognitive behavioral therapy can also be effective.

Here’s my point.

If stage fright has been limiting your professional or personal life, don’t assume you simply have to live with it.

Talk with your physician. Describe exactly what happens when you have to speak in public. Ask about your options, including whether propranolol might be appropriate for you.

Because the question isn’t simply whether you can overcome stage fright.

It’s what you might accomplish if you did.

For me, one conversation with my doctor changed the course of my professional life.

More than 450 presentations later, I’m very glad I had it.

You don’t have to take my word for any of this. Below my bio is a New York Times article worth reading.

Bruce Hennes is president of Hennes Communications, a division of AKCG – Public Relations Counselors. Founded in 1989, the firm is one of only 21 firms in the U.S. ranked by Chambers and Partners in the category of crisis and risk management. Bruce serves on the board of the CMBA as a public member, chairing its Governance Committee. He is also an associate professor at Ohio University.

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