Overcoming the fear of public speaking
Posted 02-20-2013 at 04:50 PM by serenic
It's been said that the fear of speaking in public is more prevalent than even the fear of death in many individuals. I certainly can attest to that from what I experienced at age 19 when I volunteered to read a composition in front of a high school English class of World War 11 veterans in attendance to gain their diplomas.
I completed my basic training in the army on the very same day of Japan's surrender and was assigned to a discharge center, much to my chagrin, as while I was glad to see the end of the war, I wanted a crack at the Japanese enemy.
As an eighteen year old rookie, it was my duty to be in charge of a barrack and "march" the returnees through the discharge process and to the mess hall. These were mostly hardened veterans of five years of warfare, in a hurry to return to their homes.They were not about to take any orders from a green stateside private, and were through playing soldier. These were the men I suddenly realized I was facing as I started to read my paper.
My hands were shaking as I read, my words were disjointed and halting.At that moment I would gladly have chosen death over the unbearable stage -fright and shame, intensified by the title of my essay,"How to Overcome Shyness." The teacher kindly stated that I was given an "A" evidently to mollify my embarrassment.
I lost face and never returned to that classroom, nor did I ever speak again in front of a group for twenty years, or ever raise my hand to ask a question at classes or meetings.
I was promoted to officer in charge of a loan department in the small bank of my employ, which meant I may be called upon to give an accounting at the monthly Board meetings. I was faced with the dilemma of turning down the promotion or attending Dale Carnegie at the bank's expense.
I was assured by an assistant at my first Carnegie session, that he and another assistant would prevent my hitting the floor if I should faint while speaking.Every student was required to make a short personal speech and the best speaker will be given an award. To my surprise, I was voted the best speaker and later voted President of the class.
The Carnegie experience was great since every participant had a fear of speaking. The result was very supportive and allowed a gain in confidence. However,upon completion I felt frustrated. While I knew I would not go to pieces while speaking, the speeches were not critiqued and I had a hunger to learn to speak more fluently.
It wasn't until several years later that I learned of "Toastmasters," where a group would meet at dinner and be assigned speeches of varying time and type to be critiqued constructively. Excellent materials are furnished for learning with a goal to become an "Able Toastmaster" after making 40 speeches. This usually takes about five years,but I started my own club along with my original club, which allowed me to gain my "Able" certificate in three years.
My speaking experience led to my teaching "Public Speaking and Communication" at the American Banking Institute and becoming a business and civic activist with many speaking engagements.
This blog has been very long, but I hope encouraging to some readers who may shy away from speaking before groups, which in today's business world has become more essential then what I experienced in my earlier years.
I completed my basic training in the army on the very same day of Japan's surrender and was assigned to a discharge center, much to my chagrin, as while I was glad to see the end of the war, I wanted a crack at the Japanese enemy.
As an eighteen year old rookie, it was my duty to be in charge of a barrack and "march" the returnees through the discharge process and to the mess hall. These were mostly hardened veterans of five years of warfare, in a hurry to return to their homes.They were not about to take any orders from a green stateside private, and were through playing soldier. These were the men I suddenly realized I was facing as I started to read my paper.
My hands were shaking as I read, my words were disjointed and halting.At that moment I would gladly have chosen death over the unbearable stage -fright and shame, intensified by the title of my essay,"How to Overcome Shyness." The teacher kindly stated that I was given an "A" evidently to mollify my embarrassment.
I lost face and never returned to that classroom, nor did I ever speak again in front of a group for twenty years, or ever raise my hand to ask a question at classes or meetings.
I was promoted to officer in charge of a loan department in the small bank of my employ, which meant I may be called upon to give an accounting at the monthly Board meetings. I was faced with the dilemma of turning down the promotion or attending Dale Carnegie at the bank's expense.
I was assured by an assistant at my first Carnegie session, that he and another assistant would prevent my hitting the floor if I should faint while speaking.Every student was required to make a short personal speech and the best speaker will be given an award. To my surprise, I was voted the best speaker and later voted President of the class.
The Carnegie experience was great since every participant had a fear of speaking. The result was very supportive and allowed a gain in confidence. However,upon completion I felt frustrated. While I knew I would not go to pieces while speaking, the speeches were not critiqued and I had a hunger to learn to speak more fluently.
It wasn't until several years later that I learned of "Toastmasters," where a group would meet at dinner and be assigned speeches of varying time and type to be critiqued constructively. Excellent materials are furnished for learning with a goal to become an "Able Toastmaster" after making 40 speeches. This usually takes about five years,but I started my own club along with my original club, which allowed me to gain my "Able" certificate in three years.
My speaking experience led to my teaching "Public Speaking and Communication" at the American Banking Institute and becoming a business and civic activist with many speaking engagements.
This blog has been very long, but I hope encouraging to some readers who may shy away from speaking before groups, which in today's business world has become more essential then what I experienced in my earlier years.
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