Book SummarySpeak With No Fear, by Mike Acker

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Speak With No Fear

Did you know that public speaking is the number one fear in the US, even ranking above the fear of death? In Speak With No Fear, public speaker and coach Mike Acker explores why so many people are afraid to address an audience and provides seven strategies to help you overcome that fear. Acker promises that after working through these strategies, you’ll gain the confidence to become the strong, compelling speaker you’ve always had the potential to be—or at least to get through an upcoming event without wanting to throw up.

With a speaking career spanning more than 20 years, Acker has addressed audiences ranging from less than a dozen to thousands of people. Before that, he honed his...

Speak With No Fear Summary Main Strategy #1: Dig Up the Root of Your Fear

Acker begins by saying that there’s probably a root cause behind your fear of public speaking—a humiliating or otherwise traumatic experience from your past that makes you afraid to stand up in front of a crowd. To fully overcome your fear, it’s crucial to identify that root cause and work through the negative feelings associated with it. Otherwise, this past event will continue to hold you back in the present.

For Acker, the root cause was obvious: He first tried public speaking in high school and his classmates viciously mocked his performance. However, the reason you’re afraid might not be so clear, so be prepared to dig into some of the most painful moments of your past. For instance, think about times when you became the center of attention for something embarrassing, times when groups of people made fun of you, or times when you were put on the spot for something you weren’t prepared for.

This is a difficult process, but an important one. A traumatic memory that you’ve buried is a bit like a broken bone that healed crookedly, Acker says—you have to re-break the bone and set it properly in order to make it whole and strong again. That’s what this first strategy...

Speak With No Fear Summary Main Strategy #2: Prepare for Disaster

Uncovering and healing from past trauma may be the most effective way to overcome your fear of public speaking, but it’s difficult and time-consuming, and therefore not practical if you’ve got a speaking engagement coming up soon. Acker’s second strategy—planning for the worst—is a much quicker fix. However, be aware that you’ll have to do this strategy all over again for each speech or presentation you give, since it only prepares you for one specific scenario.

For this second strategy, Acker advises you to intentionally imagine the worst-case scenarios that could happen when you give a speech or presentation. The idea is to purposefully make yourself anxious—which might sound counterintuitive, but doing so allows you to practice controlling your anxiety in a low-stakes environment. As an additional benefit, this strategy also allows you to plan out what you’ll do if that worst-case scenario happens to come up; having that plan in your proverbial back pocket will further bolster your confidence.

For example, perhaps your worst-case scenario is that you step up to the podium and realize you forgot your notes. Imagining that scene in great detail will let you practice...

Speak With No Fear Summary Main Strategy #3: Do What Comes Naturally

The first two strategies we discussed were about preparing for a public speaking event; the remaining strategies focus on how to perform well at the event itself.

For his third strategy, Acker advises you to "be yourself" when giving a speech or presentation. He explains that too many speakers try to imitate the styles, mannerisms, and personas of other people instead of being their authentic selves. However, this approach just puts more pressure on them—since they’re now trying to give a performance as well as a speech—which inevitably leads to increased anxiety and a lack of self-confidence.

Instead, find and perfect your own intrinsic style. Your unique quirks, physicality, speech patterns, sense of humor, and overall personality are powerful assets when communicating, not flaws to be suppressed or replaced. Embrace them, and you'll gain much more confidence than you could by imitating someone else.

Rehearse Your Speech, but Not Your Movements

Acker’s third strategy is about authenticity. In addition to helping you relax, authenticity makes you seem more trustworthy—and conversely, if your...

Speak With No Fear Summary Main Strategy #4: Use Your Nervous Energy

No matter how effectively you use these strategies, you probably won’t completely get rid of your nervous feelings. However, Acker argues that’s actually a good thing—you’re nervous because you care, and because you want to do well. Furthermore, you can harness that nervous energy to deliver a more forceful, more passionate speech than you could ever give while you’re totally calm.

(Shortform note: Fear and excitement are closely related feelings with nearly identical physical responses: increased heart rate, faster breathing, a surge of adrenaline, and so on. Therefore, you can harness your stage fright like Acker suggests by reframing your fear as excitement. One way to do that is by changing the way you talk to yourself about public speaking—instead of telling yourself that you’re nervous or that you can’t speak in front of a crowd, try telling yourself that you’re going to do great and impress the audience. Alternatively, try thinking about all the good that could come from this speech or presentation; for example, if it’s work-related, perhaps doing well will get you a step closer to a...

Shortform Exercise: Start Overcoming Your Fear

Now that you’re familiar with Acker’s strategies for overcoming the fear of public speaking, think about how you could use some of his advice to conquer your own fear.

Choose one of Acker’s seven strategies that you’d like to practice. Which one did you choose, and why? Remember, the strategy that’s most practical for you may depend on how long you have until your next speaking engagement.