As a child, I had stage fright, whenever I was called on stage to recite poetry or a short story in front of an audience. This was primarily due to an incident when I slipped on stage while climbing up the stairs of the podium. The fellow children laughed and mocked. I could not utter a single word as I froze on stage. It has never been the same after that day. Most people who fear public speaking have traumatic past public speaking experiences and often fear repeating them and becoming a subject of ridicule by the audience. Many people fear public speaking more than they fear death.
My own experience with public speaking was no better. I was too terrified to speak before the audience and tried to do anything to escape the ordeal of public speaking. If public speaking became inevitable either I would start stammering before the crowd or would freeze without uttering a single word. Giving interviews before a handful of people or participating in group discussions also became a herculean task.
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Soon realization dawned on me that I would not get cured of this malady by some divine providence. I knew by then that I would have to learn all the tricks of the trade and master the art of public speaking if I was ready to grab the opportunities coming my way.
Presently I enjoy standing before the crowd and telling stories, giving impromptu speeches that are quite appreciated, and hosting in university training centers and in electronic media talk shows. In one of my part-time assignments, I teach a group of fifty students the basics of communication as a guest faculty. I have also successfully faced interview boards and participated in group discussions where I have been able to put forth my point of view convincingly.
An incident that had a profound impact on my public speaking came about when one of the star campaigners of the local representative visited our community some four years ago. After his inspiring speech, he encouraged the audience to share ideas for larger public participation in civic matters. While I had a good idea of what I wanted to convey, I was too scared to stand up and give my opinion, I conveyed my point of view to a friend who was standing beside me. Hearing my concept he immediately went on stage and presented it before the audience. Something I was too scared to do.
The star speaker hearing the concept was too happy and hugely complimented my friend. I was both angry with myself and happy that my idea was welcomed. I was terribly disappointed with myself and thought of finding a solution to this problem and ultimately overcoming this issue.
Besides, I was getting nowhere in my interviews for securing a steady job as I was not able to express myself before the interview board although I was doing well in written tests. It was at that point of time when I decided that enough was enough and I would do anything and everything required to conquer my fear of speaking in public.
I started reading all that came my way on public speaking and how to conquer the fear of speaking and also watched all good speakers on the internet. Gradually by sheer experimentation and genuine attempts to acquire this new skill and by also learning what works best for me, I started observing small steps initially to prepare myself to speak my mind coherently and explicitly in from of a crowd.
Not wanting to feel belittled before my well-wishers and friends who would breeze through any public speaking event, I decided to pull up my sleeves and decided to do well even on those occasions where I was addressing a crowd. I even took the help of a professional counselor for providing much-needed mental strength.
Offered some useful tips, asking me initially not to look toward the audience while speaking. He also suggested I see what works best for me in given situations as no two people may have the same set of There’s no point in comparing myself to someone who doesn’t have the same issue. I thought about solutions that best suit me while grappling with my own issues of facing the audience. So, I dedicated myself to trying to find ways to take the first steps. And one by one I started prioritizing certain practices which I started to pursue before every occasion when I had to speak publicly.
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