Overcoming fear
May 6, 2009 Public speaking w/o passing out
Two years ago I was terrified of public speaking. I honestly would have rather been in a car accident, flown to the nearest hospital, and spend a few days in the ICU then give a speech. And I hate hospitals. My doctor even gave me a prescription for Valium in case I needed it (although I never did fill it).
Today I gave a speech about my research paper. And it went just fine.
Two years ago I would toss and turn and get no sleep the night before the speech. I would spend the whole day in a cold sweat worried about falling face first, or spitting when I talk, or forgetting what I was going to talk about. I would literally shake in my chair waiting for my turn to get up and speak.
This time I didn’t have any of that.
I got a good night’s sleep last night. I didn’t think about my speech at all during the day today. And I really wasn’t that nervous as I sat in my chair at school waiting for my turn.
I’m cured.
Ok, maybe not cured. I was still a little nervous. But it was nothing like what I used to feel when I gave a speech. I’m a girl who had to take speech three times before finally passed it. I kept dropping the class because I was too scared to stand in front of the class and give a speech.
How did I get here? I don’t really know. At some point last term I watched these 20-year-old kids give their speeches and I realized, “They all suck.” Well maybe not suck, but they were all nervous. They all said, “um” every other word. They all lost their place in their notes. They all forgot their words at one point or another. They all struggled with their Powerpoint. None of us were that great so why was I stressing about it.
And that was it. I wasn’t really worried about my speeches. I just made sure I was prepared – going over my material a few times before hand – and then did my best. It feels so good to finally be brave.
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Tags: college, speech, stage fright
May 7th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Practice. That’s really what it is. I have a degree in “communications,” which is a fancy way of saying I have a bachelor’s in public speaking. If they’d told me it was “public speaking” I’d have freaked out. “Communications” sounds so much nicer, gentler. The program had me giving a speech every week for 18 months. The first few were murder, but after that, meh, it ain’t no big thing!
I’ve now spoken in front of crowds as large as 3000 and not peed my pants or lost my ability to breathe. It’s a cool thing to have in your list of skills. Maybe someday I’ll pursue that public speaking career…
Now, can anyone answer this question: “speech” is spelled with two e’s, but if I’m “speaking” it is an ea. Whu??
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May 7th, 2009 at 5:50 am
I guesse you need to give the teens a great big hug!!! All of that constant repeating yourself or the slight alteration of the same instructions in the hope that “maybe this time they will actually listen to what I am saying,” Has made for good speech preperation. Good Job Honey
May 7th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Do you still have that Valium prescription?
Maybe you don’t need them for the speech but they are a heck of a lot of fun at parties. Don’t let a good prescription go to waste…. Especially if your insurance company is paying the tab.
-=Isis=-
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April 4th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Awesome to overcome those fears, isn’t it? I’m back in school trying to get my undergrad degree before I turn 50 and just delivered my speech on my research paper last week and it wasn’t NEARLY as bad as I thought it would be.
Good on ya.