Digital support for nervous public speakers
There’s a new public-speaking tutor on the Amazon Alexa platform designed to treat America’s #1 social phobia. How does it work? Using a cognitive restructuring approach to teach the person to recognize and change negative thoughts, this smart speaker trains nervous nellies without the need to use a face-to-face tutor. Because the program helps to ease speech anxiety without making appointments and traveling to a tutor, progress is faster due to the user being able to access the system on demand. Brief and frequent practice sessions result in much stronger skills. Alexa is highly sociable due to its conversational style, resulting in a sense of personal closeness with the user. Positive practice creates “automaticity” so that the speaker relies on training to carry them through moments of anxiety. It’s good news for scared talkers.
