Greatest fear becomes greatest attribute
06/05/2024. By Carmelle Wilkinson.
Co-founder of Corporate Communication Experts and motivational public speaker Peter Dhu.
Did you know 75 per cent of people fear public speaking more than death itself?
Just the idea of standing up in front of a crowd can bring on a host of unwelcome symptoms – sweaty palms, nausea, uncontrollable twitching, light-headedness and even shortness of breath.
Peter Dhu is a motivational keynote speaker who has spent the past 20 years helping thousands of people overcome their fear of public speaking and find their voice.
However, his confidence to speak confidently and grace a stage did not come naturally.
Growing up, Peter had a terrible stutter which held him back from living his life to the fullest.
The fear of talking to people became so severe that at 15 he decided to stop talking altogether.
For the next 10 years Peter was an elective mute, only communicating to others via handwritten notes.
“It would take me more than a minute to get a single word out, so I tried at all costs not to speak,’’ he said.
“People thought I was dumb and unintelligent. At school they would call me dumb Peter,’’ he said.
So how did Peter become one of Australia’s most notable public speakers and sought after training coaches?
He overcame his greatest fear.
Peter helps leaders, organisations and individuals overcome their fear of public speaking and teaches them to be more confident and effective as presenters and public speakers.
Now his greatest weapon, Peter is the first to admit there is nothing more powerful and empowering than facing a fear head on and working hard until that fear is a strength.
“My journey from a life of silence to a career as a public speaking coach and inspirational speaker still surprises me,’’ he said.
“Through my lived experiences I can help my clients overcome their fear of public speaking and become more confident presenters and speakers.
“If you had told me I’d be doing this for a living one day I would have thought well that’s a joke!”
Born and raised in rural WA, Peter spent his early years helping out on his parent’s farm in Denmark.
Peter age 3, with his father.
“My first recollection of stuttering was from about grade 2. I was asked to read in front of the class and when the words failed to come out, everyone laughed,’’ he said.
“Living in a quiet country town helped in a sense because I could get away with not talking. My only socialising came from school and playing cricket and footy with my friends.
“As the son of a farmer (who also stuttered), I would spend my weekends helping Dad on the farm, there was no hanging out in social settings like going to the movies or grabbing milkshakes after school with friends.”
When Peter was 15, he moved to Perth to attend boarding school.
“While enrolling at my senior high school I remember the enrolment clerk getting so frustrated he threw down the pen and paper and told me to fill it in myself,’’ he said.
“It was then that I realised I could give him all the information by writing and there was no added pressure on me or him.
“That’s when I became an elective mute.”
At high school Peter took great interest in Science.
“When I was about eight, I got my first chemistry set and would spend hours making stink bombs and fireworks and experimenting with various chemical reactions,’’ he said.
“This passion followed me into Year 11 and 12 and I started to get good marks in chemistry and physics. That’s when I thought maybe I should consider his as a career?”
After high school Peter completed a degree in applied science at Curtin, which he really enjoyed.
Peter said he survived his university years purely using the written word.
Peter recently visited our Bentley campus.
“In biochemistry my lecturer allowed me to create notes for my presentation and he read it aloud to the class for me,’’ he said.
“Nowadays, you would call that diversity and inclusion, but back then that was just someone caring enough to make adjustments to put me at ease and remove what would have been a very stressful situation for me.”
Following graduation, Peter went on to work as medical scientist – a role which required long hours in a lab and luckily for him – no talking.
“The beauty of medical science is you don’t need to talk to people. You just run through the analysis and data and write the reports,’’ he said.
“However, after 21 years it became evident that I was stuck in a rut and going nowhere. Due to my poor communication, I was repeatedly being overlooked for promotions.”
Peter avoided talking at all costs.
Even at his wedding.
Peter and Violet on their wedding day with Peter’s father and mother.
“My father was a proper gentleman and wanted things done properly and he told me I had to give a speech at my wedding. Just the thought of it made me want to cancel the wedding,’’ he said.
“Thankfully the priest was accommodating and told me if I had trouble saying ‘I do’ I could just nod. I managed to get through a few ‘I dos’ then I simply nodded.”
Peter and his wife Violet, whom he met as an energetic three old at kindy, have now been married 43 years and have 3 adult children.
Peter and Violet with their three children.
Peter said a tipping point in his life was after his dad passed away.
“I decided to give my dad’s eulogy. It was the first time I had spoken to a group of people in my entire life. I was 40 years old,’’ he said.
“My dad lived a great life and was an admired leader in the community. Despite his bad stutter people respected him and listened to him. While there I was living a life of self-limiting beliefs based on my fear and my stutter.
“People often ask how I moved from medical science to public speaking, training and coaching and I tell them after my father’s funeral I joined Toastmasters. And it was on that Toastmasters journey that I found my voice.”
Looking back on his life, there were many times when Peter wished he had been brave enough to speak.
“There is nothing harder than having knowledge, ideas and passion that you’re unable to share because of the fear of speaking up,’’ he said.
“If you know in your own life that you need to address a fear, and fear is holding you back, then I ask you to become courageous and set an achievable first step.
“For me, my first step of dealing with my fear of the telephone, was to go down to the telephone box and dial home when no one was home and leave a message.”
Today, Peter and Violet run Corporate Communication Experts – which offers training sessions and workshops to optimise the performance and productivity of individuals, teams and organisations through enhanced communication.
Peter and Violet enjoy helping others overcome their fear of public speaking.
“We train you to bring your best communication skills to the conversation, whether it’s speaking up, presenting in front of a crowd, speaking at a conference, delivering a tough message or improving your ability to speak confidently in impromptu situations,’’ he said.
Peter also offers top tips and skills for overcoming the fear of public speaking.
“I always tell people imagine your nerves as wild horses. Running around with the wind in their manes completely out of control. The trick is not to shoot them, don’t get rid of them, rather harness and tame them – and they will take you on the ride of your life,’’ he said.
“I still get nervous before any presentation or workshop, but how I overcome that is always knowing who’s in the room before I walk in. It’s important to build a rapport and connection with who is in the room before moving onto the content.
“My greatest advice is to be your authentic self. Talk to the people in the room like you would one on one. Have a conversation with them, tell stories and be vulnerable. People relate to someone who shows their vulnerability.”
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