By Michael F. Carmichael
April 21, 2011
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin Roosevelt.
“My goal is to help you conquer fear.” – Shawne Duperon.
Duperon is leading what she calls a “media mastery bootcamp,” a two-day session designed to make her “boots” comfortable when dealing with reporters – or with any other occasion where they have to answer questions in public. Duperon knows her subject well because she is a six-time EMMY award-winning television veteran with experience on-camera and behind the scenes as a producer. She’s also an active speaker, talking with groups around the world and headed for Africa this summer. At the same time, she’s completing the requirements for, as she says, a “Ph.D. in gossip” –more formally, a degree in interpersonal relationships.
Bootcamp attendees are from a wide range of professions and an equally wide geographic spread. A recent camp in suburban Detroit attracted participants from as far away as Calgary, Alberta, and Minneapolis. There were lawyers, doctors, city managers, Hispanic community leaders, marketing and media relations types from large corporations as well as representatives from nonprofit organizations.
“Half of the corporate folks who take my training will never go on camera, half of them may end up dealing with print reporters,” says Duperon. “We use the media bootcamp as a template to master fear in any category. When you can powerfully be yourself in front of a camera, totally managing fear, you can do anything.”
“More people are afraid of speaking in front of the public than dying,” Duperon claims, laughing. “The worst fear is public humiliation on a massive scale.” And the global reach of news media certainly provides that opportunity.
“I get two groups,” Duperon explains. “I get a lot of entrepreneurs and I get a lot of corporate folks. In corporations it runs the gamut. I’ll get communications people, public relations people, C-level folks.”