Your brain’s Hidden Filter
Your Brain’s Hidden Filter: How the Reticular Activating System Shapes Your Public Speaking Experience
You’ve prepared your content.
You’ve rehearsed your intro.
You’re ready — and still, your body feels like it’s standing in front of a firing squad.
Why does the fear of public speaking override all your preparation?
One answer lies deep in your brain:
The Reticular Activating System — or RAS.
What is the RAS?
The RAS is your brain’s built-in filter.
It decides what information is important enough to reach your conscious mind.
Its job? Keep you alive by constantly scanning for danger.
The RAS doesn’t care about your resume.
It listens to your beliefs, past experiences, and emotional associations.
So if you’ve ever been judged, embarrassed, or dismissed while speaking —
Your RAS now tags public speaking as a threat.
Here’s how it plays out:
You book a talk or meeting.
Your conscious mind says, “This is an opportunity!”
Your RAS quietly responds, “Nope. Danger.”
And just like that — your nervous system triggers fear, tension, and self-doubt.
You haven’t even spoken a word — and your body is already preparing to run.
The RAS amplifies what you believe is important
Ever bought a red car and suddenly started seeing red cars everywhere?
That’s your RAS in action.
It brings to your attention what it thinks matters.
So if your internal narrative says:
“I always mess up when I speak.”
“They’re going to judge me.”
“I’m not good enough.”
Guess what your RAS will highlight during your talk?
Every frown. Every yawn. Every mistake.
But here’s the powerful part: You can reprogram it.
The RAS isn’t fixed — it responds to repetition, emotion, and intention.
In my Executive Talk Rewire™ program, we use neuroscience-informed tools to:
Rewire the fear loop at the subconscious level
Install new beliefs that the RAS will begin to tag as “safe”
Train your nervous system to find safety — not threat — in visibility
The result? your RAS stops filtering for fear.
It starts highlighting engagement, curiosity, and connection.
Your RAS isn’t sabotaging you. It’s protecting you.
You just need to update its instructions.
Because when your RAS says, “This is safe. I’ve got this” —
Everything changes.
Want to rewire your public speaking experience from the root?
Let’s do it together.
