Practical Public Speaking: From Fear to Success
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Do your knees turn to jelly when it’s your turn to speak? Does your mind transform everything you thought you knew into a jumbled mess? Do you intentionally avoid uncomfortable communication situations? Public speaking may not come naturally to many of us, but with the right support and training, it can be developed. Improving your public speaking skills not only benefits your business but also benefits you personally.
Using highlights of Tom Dowd’s Gold Medal award-winning book “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-Speaking Guide”, you will:
- Learn how to relieve the stress of speaking to a crowd
- Become skilled in speaking with notes, without notes, and using slides
- Learn how to think quickly, speak logically, and engage your audience
- Learn how to summarize by using analogies and short stories
- Understand the importance of preparation, personal stories, and mental and physical insight on reducing anxiety and increasing confidence
Most importantly, you will learn how to become influential in achieving your goals and your audience’s goals.
Testimonials
Hear what previous attendees have to say about their experience.
About Practical Public Speaking:
From Fear to Success
- Increase your public speaking skills (with and without notes or slides)
- Understand the power of storytelling to increase audience engagement
- Learn how to think quickly, speak logically, and influence your audience
- Recognize key stress drivers and learn how to use them to your advantage
- Redefine public speaking to positively influence your everyday life
- Prepared presentation methods
- Defining public speaking
- Understanding your anxious symptoms
- Adapting to your audience
- Making your message stick
- Being an engaged listener
- Balancing content with delivery
- Incorporating personal stories
- Reducing anxiety and increasing confidence
- Mental and physical preparation
- Preparation methods, tools and techniques
- Impromptu speaking
- Maximizing your ability to think and speak on the fly
We are surrounded by public speaking opportunities. This program is designed to benefit anyone who wants to improve their public speaking skills, especially:
- Anyone who has ever had a conversation with anyone else
- Business leaders
- Educators
- Managers
- Municipal employees
- Nonprofit workers
- Religious leaders
- Researchers
- Employees working from home
Tom Dowd
Founder of Thomas Dowd Professional Development & Coaching, LLC
Distinguished Toastmaster
Program Details
Dates & Times
- October 16, 2026
- 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Modality
This program will be offered in person at the University of Maine campus in Orono, ME.
$245
Lunch is included.
20 participants
Certificates
Certificates of Completion are available upon request.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
6 hours / .6 CEUs
If you’d like to receive CEUs for participating in this course, please note this during your registration.
Microcredential Pathway
Successful completion of this course satisfies the learning requirements for the University of Maine System Oral Communication Badge.
UMaine Professional and Continuing Education is committed to providing access to our services and programs for people with disabilities. If you need accommodation(s) to attend and/or participate in a program, please contact us.
Request a custom program
Every organization faces different challenges, goals, and opportunities. And unique needs sometimes require a customized professional development program.
UMaine Professional and Continuing Education can help you find and develop a program tailored to your employees, team members, or organization.
Ready to create a program workshop for your team? Submit a custom program request form and get started today.
