Page 287 - ConvinceThemFlip

the show must go on
Teresa changed her focus from looking inward—think-
ing about herself and her anxiety—to looking out, thinking
about others and how what she had to say could help
them save lives. She used her imagination to picture the
best outcome of her presentation—an audience caught up
in what she had to say—and not the worst (herself, stum-
bling and embarrassed).
We spent an hour or so going over a few exercises,
including Shish Kebab on page 252, and Teresa went home
determined to practice what I’d shown her and come to
grips once and for all with her debilitating phobia.
The next day at 9:00 A.M. Teresa came onstage in front
of a studio audience of 250 people and a viewing audience
of many tens of thousands more and talked about her
problem with getting up in front of any audience. After
ten minutes’ conversation, the host asked Teresa if she
thought her new outlook would make any difference, and
Teresa’s response was to ask Debra Duncan for her hand-
held microphone and to walk out into the audience. For
the next three minutes or so, she was asking them ques-
tions and telling them about CPR as if she owned the place.
Everyone was flabbergasted. Debra Duncan, as intelligent
and charismatic a person as you could ever wish to meet,
had to chase after Teresa and ask for her mike back, jok-
ingly asking, “Hey, whose show is this, anyway?”
Later, when Debra asked Teresa what contributed
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