Dying on Stage: The Unspoken Terror of Public Speaking (and How to Survive It)

Dick Shawn died on stage. Literally.

The gifted comic and actor, known for his frenetic style and scene-stealing turn in The Producers, collapsed during a college performance in 1987. At first, the audience thought it was part of the act. They laughed. They waited. And waited. Then the laughter stopped.

By the time they realized it wasn’t a bit, it was too late.

Now, obviously, that’s not the kind of “dying on stage” most of us fear. But metaphorically? Oh, we’ve all been there.

The flop sweat.

The blank mind.

The terrifying realization that you’ve lost the room.

Public speaking is a high-wire act—no net, just your voice and the collective judgment of an audience watching, arms crossed, waiting to be impressed.

I’ve been a public speaker for decades—at conferences, classrooms, corporate trainings, podcasts, panels, and even the occasional pep talk to a room full of PR interns trying to figure out what I do all day. I’ve experienced the highs of connection and the lows of catastrophe. Here are a few...