Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking: 

Client Spotlight Interview with Arturo Villarreal

Victoria:

My guest today is Arturo Villarreal. He just finished my Brilliant Speakers Academy program a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to invite him to this podcast to share his public speaking journey with you. Arturo designs and implements complex control algorithms for different electronic control units inside cars. He has 15 years of experience working in embedded software for the automotive industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in computer science. Please welcome Arturo to my show.

Arturo:

Thank you, Victoria. I'm glad to be here.

Victoria:

Why did you decide to join Brilliant Speakers Academy? What were the challenges that you felt you needed help with regarding public speaking?

Arturo:

I don't know exactly when it started. I just remember that maybe 15 years into my career, I was feeling nervous or anxious when I had to present or have a status meeting. Even in college, I was feeling nervous and anxious, so I thought it was normal. I was thinking, oh, maybe later that will disappear. Before your program, I watched some videos on YouTube about how to avoid nervousness and how to prepare a presentation. I went to some Toastmasters meetings and things like that to help me.But they never attacked the problem of understanding the fear. What is the root of that fear and the anxiety?

I saw your advertising online, so I decided to give it a try because I lived a long time with the same anxiety that didn't disappear. So I said, okay, let's do something.

Victoria:

I remember you mentioned that you even had opportunities to get promoted, and you declined those opportunities because they would have required you to speak publicly a lot more.

Arturo:

Yes. There were some occasions where there was an opportunity to be a manager, but in that position, you need to have more meetings with the upper management. In my mind, I was saying, no, I am an engineer, I like to work on the technical side. I don't like the administrative work. But I think the reason behind that was also my fear of public speaking. I remember some opportunities that I decided to not pursue because of that anxiety.

Victoria:

When did you start noticing the changes? How soon after joining did you start noticing changes?

Arturo:

I think I started seeing changes two or three months after joining the program.

Victoria:

I remember we were talking about it when you were on a coaching call and you were saying, in the beginning, “I'm the same, I'm the same.” But then all of a sudden, two months go by, I look back and I realize that I have changed, that the changes were so subtle that only when you look back, you see how far you've come.

Arturo:

Yes, that's why it's very important to have the program journal because in your journal, you describe how you feel. Then you can look back and remember. If the changes are small, sometimes you don't notice, but every day you are getting better and better.

Another other thing that I like about the program is that you say that we are responsible for our learning. I noticed in some coaching calls, we have the attitude of I’m here to listen, give me the techniques, give me what I need to do. Yet I still feel nervous.

We made a promise in the beginning, that we have to put all our effort and this is something that we have to do ourselves. You'll give the program and you'll give the coaching calls, but we have to do the work. When I saw that my attitude changed during the program, that was also when I started making changes, when I took that commitment and started making an effort, not just waiting for everything from you.

Victoria:

I love that you mentioned it because you were one of the hardest-working clients that I've had. You always tried to come to coaching calls, even though you don't have to go. There are recordings, you can always ask me ahead of time, and I will address your questions at the coaching calls.

I know you've made an effort to show up in person and be there and ask me questions, as many questions as you could come up with. Because as you said, the program can work for absolutely any situation, but sometimes you need guidance, and that's what you get from coaching calls - how to apply the concepts in the program to your specific situation, your specific challenge, and then you can take it and move forward so much faster.

Let's talk about now. What's happening now? How do you feel? What happened after you finished Brilliant Speakers Academy, or what was happening during Brilliant Speakers Academy, as you started noticing changes?

Arturo:

When I started noticing changes, I think my mindset changed. Now, I see public speaking differently. Instead of worrying about how everyone is watching me, how I look, or if my English is perfect, I'm more focused on what I can give to my audience. I now view every opportunity for public speaking as a chance to continue learning and growing, rather than just thinking, “Oh, I have to speak again.”

My boss puts me in front of 10 people, and I see it as an opportunity to continue learning and growing. I've also applied some of your concepts at church and in other meetings.

One thing you mentioned is that the daily habits we practice establish who we are and shape our limiting beliefs. If we keep practicing the same things, we continue reinforcing those beliefs. If you think that simply practicing will make you better at public speaking and that watching TED talks or practicing more will make the fear disappear, you'll just keep practicing speaking with fear. It's like a switch in our minds. “Oh, Arturo, you have to speak in public,” and the fear switch activates. That's how it was for me.

The difference with this program is that, unlike other courses or Toastmasters, it addresses the understanding behind why we have that fear. Your program is really different. It doesn't start with, “Here's how you can become a great speaker.” Instead, the first four modules focus on changing the switch in your brain. First, understanding the fear and how to reinforce inner confidence. I go through life, wake up, and go to work without reflecting on myself— not just my weaknesses but also my strengths.

That's the difference in this program compared to others. You spend a lot of time and focus on the conversation we have with ourselves, which is the first part. Before making a PowerPoint or trying to prepare your talk or your topic, the first thing is the internal conversation. I appreciate that you help us change the switch in the first four modules.

I like the focus on understanding the fears and trying to reinforce your strengths. Try to see the audience in a different way than the conversation we always have in our head.  You help us in the first four modules to change the switch. That is the difference that I find in this program.

Victoria:

I guess the most important question is did the fact that this is different help you overcome your fear of public speaking?

Arturo:

Yeah, for sure. Now, I think that I’m talking too much in meetings.

Victoria:

I am so proud of you. You have been amazing through this whole journey. You came in with so much anxiety, so much fear, and so much insecurity about speaking in public. It's been amazing watching you blossom and gain confidence and come back and say, well, now I talk too much. Yeah.

Arturo:

If I can have another comment, another thing that helped me a lot from your program is that when you clean one room of your house, you want to clean other rooms later. I try to improve in other areas. Because you are becoming a better person in one area, you realize, “Hey, I need to also do this self-improvement in this other area.”

Your course helped me and motivated me to find self-improvement in different areas, not only public speaking - my personal relations, my job, my finances.  It's like you activated a switch and you continue until you clean your entire house. I think the same principles can be applied to different areas of your life.

Victoria:

Absolutely. And it's funny that you mentioned it because so many people mentioned it.

“I thought I came to Brilliant Speakers Academy to improve my communication skills, to overcome my fear of public speaking, to become a better speaker in professional situations. But what I got was so much more than that because it has opened opportunities and areas of life that I didn't even know I wanted to explore” - simply because you did that one step of majorly improving your communication skills.

I’m very proud of you and wish you lots of success. Thank you so much for coming.