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"Mary Rauch helps speakers address their job confidence"
By Tom Walker
Fear of public speaking, or "speech fright," is the most prevalent phobia
in today's business world. Mary E. Rauch, a former victim of the phobia,
makes it her business to help individuals and groups overcome speech
fright - and bolster their self-confidence and self-esteem in the
bargain.
Rauch, a former university instructor, is founder and
owner of Mary E. Rauch Communications Co. She is the company.
"I work alone," she says. "I do everything from cold
calling and marketing to presentations, training and invoicing. I don't
advertise. Word of mouth and referrals bring me all the business I can
handle."
Individuals receive one-on-one training from Rauch for
such problems as speech fright and social communication anxiety. But the
lion's share of Rauch's business consists of seminars and class
instruction on the delivery of formal business presentations and the resolution
of internal/external communication problems & processes.
Clients include local, regional and national companies
and agencies; professional associations; school districts; political
candidates; and powerful CEOs secretly afraid to get up and speak before
a group.
In the political arena, Rauch was media coach for
Mariá Berriozábal in her mayoral campaign and with Howard Peak
in his successful campaign for mayor.
"I am currently helping a couple of people in their run
for district judges," Rauch adds.
This side of her profession has to do with more than
public speaking and speechifying.
Says Rauch: "I help candidates come across in a
confident, forceful, committed way when they deal with the media. The
political style of the "'80s"", which emphasized image, has been replaced by
today's emphasis on substance and authenticity."
According to Rauch, the electorate is now suspicious of
charismatic "charmers" and "image exploiters."
"People want to know what you are, not what you'd like
to be," says Rauch. "Whoever my client is, I want him or her to project
the message 'What you see and what you hear is me.'"
Before starting her company in 1988, Rauch taught for
21 years on the university level, including 12 years at UTSA.
Does she miss teaching?
"I'm still teaching," she replies. "It's in my blood.
Only now I'm teaching small groups of highly motivated people who know
exactly what they want."
Rauch herself developed speech fright at age 16.
"But only when I sang," she qualifies. "I took voice
lessons and used to sing at weddings. I'd get physically ill. I had to
stop."
She took up singing again at 40 - without fear - and
has since sung in San Antonio Little Theater productions.
To deal with speech fright, Rauch explains, she first
makes the subject understand that it's physical - a neurological reaction
caused by a rush of adrenaline.
Next, says Rauch, the subject must understand that the
fear is also experiential - a response conditioned by past experience.
The third step involves techniques that slow down one's
physical system.
"We work on breathing," Rauch says. "And, slowly, we do
a lot of little things until the subject is able to face the video
camera. Video cameras are important for visualization: they allow us to
see ourselves as others see us."
In the process, speakers learn to improve their
posture, physical balance, gestures, and eye contact.
Still, she insists, the main problem with professional
business presentations is not speech fright, but inadequate preparation.
"Business people must learn to organize, prepare and
rehearse their presentations until they seem relaxed, second-nature and
conversational," Rauch says, "They must learn not to fight the material.
Unfortunately, most professionals prepare for a
presentation in their car on the way to the presentation site."
Business is good for Mary Rauch, and getting better all
the time.
She plans to continue doing what she does indefinitely.
"It's an interesting road," Rauch says. "I don't know
where it's taking me, but I'm going to stay on it."
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