Although this is not technically a disability, it can be very
paralyzing for some people. What am I talking about? Public speaking, which I
have heard is the #1 fear people have. It is feared even more than death! I can
believe that. I have always had a confidence issue and public speaking is very
hard for me. Thankfully, it is rare that I have to do it, but when I do, I get
extremely nervous. I stutter and stammer, do a lot of and um-ing and ah-ing to
the point where I lose my train of thought and sometimes freeze. The same thing
has happened in the past when I have sung in church.
Recently, I was asked to give a presentation on some of my
interests by the director of our local Office on Aging and Disabilities, for
their Disability Awareness Day. Although I was apprehensive about doing it, I
decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and said yes. Now it is a matter
of organizing my thoughts and developing them into a cohesive manner.
I was talking to a friend of mine about this, and she
suggested that I look into an international organization called Toastmasters.
This organization brings people from different walks of life together and helps
them develop and or improve their public speaking skills. This is done by
members/participants listening to each other’s speeches on a variety of
subjects. At the end of the meeting, constructive criticism is given by
selected members to allow people to get information on what they need to work
on to improve their communication skills.
I enjoyed attending the meeting last night. Everyone was very
welcoming to me, cordial to each other during their speeches and were
respectful toward each other during the critiquing part of the meeting. I look
forward to attending more of these meetings to work on improving my public
speaking and communication skills to help me be more at ease when it comes to
interacting with people. I will add more posts on this subject as I go through
this process. Has anyone else done any public speaking? How did it go? Can you
share any tips with us?
Hi Jim, after working as a food server the earlier part of my adult life, I feel confident speaking to people. More recently, over the past 7 years, I’ve been training people in the call center as the subject matter expert for my department. I also sing frequently in church. As with anything, the more you do it, the more confidence you have. It also helps to know your content. I have attended s toastmasters meeting and found the people to be very welcoming and encouraging. It’s a great forum to gain your confidence and build up your experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jynx. I am wanting to get more involved in things that involve public speaking, so I am going to work on putting myself out there more.
ReplyDeleteSounds great Jynx
Delete