Imagine standing in front of a massive audience. Before you speak, you will feel that one blunder will traumatize your life.
I was also the same since childhood, I did everything to avoid it. I would pass every opportunity that could help me grow. In the end, the fear only magnified as I grew up. Once, I was forced to take part in the school assembly. So, I took a role of least effort – giving news reports. What could go wrong? I choked in the middle of the speech and stayed silent for 6-8 seconds before resuming again. That was it, the fear was set in my heart, and I never tried to give a speech in my entire school life.
After school, my college began and I had to give a presentation on emotional intelligence. When I spoke, the teacher pointed out that I was fast. I too thought that my body was rigid and there was nervousness in my voice. After me, my friend spoke. His hand movements were fluid, he was more knowledgeable, and confident. I learned a lot from him.
After this incident, my sister gave me the book “Talk Like Ted”. On reading it, I analyzed my past mistakes and learned new things. The next opportunity came and I had to give a mathematics presentation. I did intensive research on the topic and created animated slides. When I delivered it – everyone gave a huge applause. The teacher said, “This group has set a high standard.” My friends also said that I nailed it. Finally, I felt proud of overcoming my fear.
These are the changes I made
- I used more images and illustrations (1 image on 1 slide) and less text.
- I recorded and listened to my audio multiple times. The first rehearsal was trash, but it improved with practice.
- Get your friends or family members to hear you speak. They will see things in a new light and provide valuable feedback.
- Use of bit of humor. My friend applied it in his presentation and it was great.
- 1 week before speaking, I used positive self-talk – imagining the scene of my classmates clapping for me.
Still, there’s a lot to improve and I’m sure I can do it. If a scared child like me could do it, so you can.