How to get over the Fear of Public Speaking | Part 1

Are you crazy?? I can’t do that! is probably what you say when someone asks you to speak in front of an audience. I don’t know about you, but that’s exactly how I felt when the Warden handed me the Bible when I was walking into Chapel on my very first day of College. I was fifteen (2011) and moved from my previous school to the new one in order to complete 3 years of “Advanced Level” education. The Warden who was a Christian priest I had known for a while was quite the jovial type too. He was also known as, "Father Dushy" (Dush - ee)

Grab The Opportunity

I immediately said to him, “Father, I can’t, I don’t even know the reading”. In response, he gestured to me that it’s no big deal. Now just minutes away from my turn at the lectern in front of hundreds of students to read the scripture, I was nervous as ever. However, I thought to myself that I should give it a try anyway!

Take That First Step

My main worry was that I will mispronounce something and that I would make a complete mockery out of myself (because I am a perfectionist.. sigh). I was as cold as an ice cube because I was super nervous. However, I told myself, “This is for Jesus!” and went ahead and read the scripture. I had to stutter along the way, but the “never-ending” few minutes did come to a stop and I was relieved!

It can be Life-Changing

This, to be honest, was one moment in my life that was the stepping stone for many things I’ve accomplished along the way. You’d be surprised to know that I ended up preaching in Chapel (occasionally) after this incident. Once you get over the first hurdle, nothing can stop you. The confidence boost is immense and what it does to you as a person is unspeakable.

Face Your Fears

Mistakes are meant to be made and there’s no reason to be embarrassed about them (although I always overthink about how I could have said something more fluently etc.). This feeling is normal and make sure you keep a note of the areas you could do better at and motivate yourself to do better at your next opportunity.

Make Your Mark

Most people perceive you as “brave” or “confident” purely because you had the courage to go up on stage and speak before a crowd. This can go a long way. Maybe you can impress a potential employer. They may perceive you as the “right fit” for a particular job and even hire you afterwards!

Self-Motivate yourself

I still remember how I started a course called “Speechcraft” offered by Toastmasters International and which is a programme focused on building effective public speaking skills (back in 2015). Weeks later, I took on the role of “topics master” at the head table during the finale of this course and the guest of honour, Mr. Hasitha Premaratne who was (and still is) the CFO at one of the leading apparel manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka in his speech said, “I see so many leaders here” and pointed at me. It sounds really petty, but that had a major impact on me and it motivated me to do even better in life.

Master It

It’s no longer a process for me now. It’s normal to speak in front of a group of senior individuals such as directors or CEOs or even a bunch of unruly kids. As long as I am confident about what I want to say and I’ve done my homework, I don’t feel nervous anymore! At least not as much as I used to!

Remember - practice makes perfect! So get some of your friends or family to listen to you while you prepare or you can imagine an audience in front of you when you practice. It really helps to ensure that you cover the entire audience (when you are really doing your speech) so while you speak you may find a few people who seem really interested in what you are saying. Try and find one of those people from the left, right, and center of the room and switch eye contact regularly. Thereby you will be able to feel more comfortable and the audience will feel as if you are speaking to each one of them.

Await More on This Topic!

Now that you get the gist of it, I will release part 2 of this topic which will go into a bit more detail on aspects you really want me to cover (preparation and execution). So do let me know in the comments what you want me to cover in my next article on Public Speaking.

C’mon now, SPEAK UP! 😎

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Mahen Brendon Makalande

Sri Lanka