Here
are two statistics for you:
Ø
>More people are afraid of public
speaking than actually dying
Ø
>Three out of four individuals suffer
from speech anxiety
Last
night I judged a public speaking
competition in Lanark. Competing in speechmaking is something I used to
do for
a hobby 30 years ago. I later went on to train a team who were
runner-up in the
national Scottish finals.
Back
then, was I afraid every time I got up on stage? You bet! All the usual
fears,
what will others think of my speech? Will they agree or disagree with
my
opinion? Do I look stupid and an actor or professional and competent?
Competition rules dictated that we only got to choose a prescribed
topic 15 min
before performance so there was little time to prepare before
delivering to an
audience and being judged on every detail from confidence to content.
Postcards
were allowed, but no overhead projectors!
Once
before a competition our trainer
allowed us to go to the pub for a one drink as
Dutch courage to calm the
nerves. Mine was of whisky and water. It was a disaster. It numbed the
nerves
to the point it made me less creative in my thought when it came to
question
time.
Well
they say "that which doesn't kill
you, makes you a stronger person". Well that much was true, I avoided
the
alcohol in future...well for speechmaking at least! Whether we like it
or not,
the truth is we can all be called on to speak at any given time in life
e.g.
weddings, birthday toasts, job interviews, presentations, votes of
thanks, chairing
a meeting, to name but a few.
It
gives us a choice. Do we either embrace
the challenge and overcome the fear or take the easier road and avoid
speaking
altogether? That's not to say that avoiding is necessarily wrong-but it
does
leave the situation to rear its ugly head again another time. So in
this
circumstance what do you do? Some would say "feel the fear and do it
anyway" but maybe there is an alternative?
I
suggest this-use the opportunity to identify
and dissolve the fear of public speaking, before deciding whether to
actually
speak or not.
You
will:
Ø
> eliminate the negative behaviour driver
Ø
> develop your life skills
Ø
> feel you have conquered Mt by doing so
Ø
Love the results
More
importantly you will
not feel as negative the next time or fear being asked to speak and
deliver in
front of an audience. And the best bit? You may even grow to like it or
want to
do more!
Anyone
who grows to like
doing something they used to fear is a progressive person; someone who
knows
how to get on in life. This is not to belittle those who would rather
avoid public
speaking, it just offers an alternative to more of the same, that's
living with
and be controlled by fear.
Solutions
to everyday
challenges. This is what personal development is all about. Why live
with the
problem when you don't have to? We can all use this reminder from time
to time.
This is what helps us to become more evolved individuals and a more
fulfilled
as a person.
Have
a great week
Billy
