I heard that people fear death the most out of everything they could be afraid of. Not surprising, since death holds a lot of unknowns for a lot of people. But I also heard that the second thing on the list of people's biggest fears was public speaking. So basically the only thing people fear more than public speaking...is dying. Okay then...
I, for one, do not share this fear of public speaking, and I will tell you why:
Practice
I have had training in public speaking since I was in 7th grade. I used to hate getting up in front of my classmates to read an essay that I thought wasn't worth a hill o' beans, but as I grew older, I began to enjoy it. I couldn't wait to present lectures to my classmates. Debate was my favorite subject. The key is to practice.
My "fear" of public speaking has been tested this weekend. But before I tell you the story and brag on my favorite teachers, I want to explain something about myself to y'all so that you understand how this fear was "tested".
I have a very active imagination. That's where my stories, essays, lectures, blog posts, etc. come from. But one thing that sets my imagination apart is that not only can I picture scenarios, but I can feel the emotions that go along with them. So if I were to imagine something with a high emotional charge...perhaps like a first kiss or whatever gets you emotionally charged...then I actually feel nervous, my stomach starts doing gymnastics, and I get freaked out even though I'm sitting alone in my cave with only my phone and computer. Now I will tell my story.
I was working at Michigan's largest homeschool convention this weekend. It draws in people from all over the state. I even made a friend from New York. I was sitting at a booth that people could drop off bags etc. while they shopped the vendor hall. I was bored out of my mind, wishing for something to do when a vendor comes up and starts talking to me. I don't know how, but we got to talking about public speaking. He asked if I enjoyed public speaking and I said I did--very much so. So to get an idea of how much I enjoyed it, he said,
"So if they asked you to go to the main hall and do a speech in front of a thousand people you wouldn't be scared?"
I visualized a thousand pairs of eyes staring at me. No emotions. "Nope."
"What about impromptu?"
"If they gave me a topic to talk about I would talk about it. Not a big deal."
"What if you had to come up with a topic?"
I laughed. "I blog. Coming up with a topic is no big thing. It would be fun!"
He probably thought I was nuts.
But seriously though, guys. Public speaking is not that big of a deal. As with anything the only reason we're afraid of it is because we don't understand it. We don't know how to do it properly. I am by no means an expert orator, but I do know that a lot of things we're afraid of are not that big of a deal. I hate performing my violin solo. It terrifies me. You know why? Because I don't have my piece mastered. When I did have it mastered at Solo and Ensemble Festival this spring I had oodles of fun just throwing my entire being into the music. But when I'm unprepared for an event, I get afraid.
Maybe if people got up and spoke more often they wouldn't be so afraid of public speaking. I love it because I've practiced it and I'm comfortable with it. This post is my challenge to you: get out there and practice your public speaking! You won't die! There's nothing to be afraid of!
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