Improv to Overcome Public Speaking Fear | Calgary News

A Calgary scholar is turning improv comedy into a powerful tool to conquer public speaking fears. Master’s student Francis Taman is launching an 11-week course teaching spontaneity and verbal fluency through playful group exercises—designed to build confidence, not just collect data. While improv helps with social anxiety, its impact on glossophobia (the fear of public speaking) remains under-researched. With 63% of people reporting some level of this anxiety—and many experiencing it since adolescence—Taman’s work aims to help people reframe their physical reactions as excitement, not dread. After a career in drama and law, he’s now tackling this gap head-on, driven by personal experience and countless stories of others stuck by stage fright. His mission? To unlock potential one improv game at a time. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/cce5f2441fb2dbe5