Today, I interview Peter George who as a young child had a speech impediment. Because of this, he learned to stay quiet and kept his circle fairly small. He was shy and rarely spoke up in class. But he decided he could become very proficient in all kinds of sports, as the athletic kids rarely get picked on. But that was okay with him at the time, because he really enjoyed sports anyway. 

Then, he was forced to work with a speech pathologist who gave him very vigorous, exhausting conditioning exercises. He hated them, but they did help the speech issues to subside enough to be barely noticeable now. As is true for many people, Peter could talk easily with family and close friends, but was introverted when it came to connecting with new people at first. He was seen as snobbish by some in high school because he was athletic and successful but hardly spoke to anyone. 

Entering college and the workforce without sports as his shield, he had no choice but to speak in certain situations. When it came to keeping a job he truly valued, he stepped up and spent his work commute educating himself and working to improve his speaking abilities. 

Of all things that Peter has tried, he says that personal coaching made the biggest difference for him. His biggest takeaway has been learning that the people listening to us aren't thinking the horrible things we think about ourselves. They're just there to listen. If we focus on what we have to offer the listener, our perspective shifts and the fear goes away. Today, Peter works with others to show them how it's all about the audience. 

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Find Peter here: [email protected] 
https://petergeorgepublicspeaking.com 
https://petergeorgepublicspeaking.com/public-speaking-podcast 
https://linkedin.com/in/petergeorgepublicspeaking 
https://twitter.com/PeterGeorgeIntl

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I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. 

Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.   

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I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.