My Fear of Public Speaking
My first memory of speaking in public was my first grade “Show and Tell”. Everyone had to bring their pet, and I remember I had brought my guinea pig, Lola. From what I recall I wasn’t nervous or afraid of telling the story of how I got Lola in front my peers. As I grew older, things started to change. Anxiety kicked in as I was about to give a presentation to the class. While I was presenting, I would sweat, my hands would shake uncontrollably, and I would forget all the words I was supposed to say. My heart pounded so much, I felt like people could hear it. I always felt uneasy and so unlike myself. Sometimes I went as far as hiding in the bathroom or even cowering behind the person in front of me anytime the teacher would randomly pick someone to begin presenting. My mother would always say I would outgrow the nervousness someday, and my father would say that if I practiced enough and learned the material of the presentation well, I wouldn’t forget what to say. I always told myself that I’d outgrow it, but now I’m turning 21 soon and going into my junior year in college, and I am still frightened by the thought of public speaking.
During my first year of college, I took a class called “Fundamentals of Speech Communication”, but many students called it “Public Speaking class”. Reflecting on it, I learned so much about how to handle anxiety, nervousness, and insecurity before and after giving a presentation. In one of the lectures, my professor told us something I’ll never forget. She said, “Fake it ’til you make it. You might feel afraid and nervous at some point before or while you’re presenting, but no one has to know this.” This made me change how I viewed and approached public speaking. It’s not about faking who you are nor about hiding your feelings, but you are essentially bringing out your confident self to give you strength. If you forget the words, go by what you know and strive to keep going. The key is to exude confidence until you have made it to the finish line.
With this mindset, I have been able to put myself in situations outside of my comfort zone. I’m glad that at Skillsoft I have been given the chance to hone confidence and practice my presenting skills. Not only have discovered courses on public speaking on Percipio, but also have had the pleasure of actually presenting a branding strategy plan to other employees and executives. It took practice and a whole lot of inner confidence. Even though I still get frightened, I’m eager to open up to more new experiences and further develop my public speaking skills.
