Struggles with public speaking aren’t particular to introverts. More outgoing and social people get the shakes too when they think about standing in front of a group of people to present their ideas. The nightmare of every kid at school, and the goal of most professionals.
A lot of people at school got nervous because of their lack of preparation for the presentation. For me, what I was going to say was never the problem. I mean yes, I got worried when I felt I wasn’t ready but the worst was always the people. All of them looking at me, even if they weren’t actually, I could literally feel their eyes on me, acknowledging my existence, thinking about me in any way, and silently judging.
Later, I learned in school, no one actually gives a shit about what you’re talking about 🙂
I’m no fan of public speaking, but now I recognize its importance.
I think this shift in how I perceive public speaking was part growing up in general, and part of a personal growth that had to do with me only too. And there are so many things that brought me to this shift, but there was one in specific that turned a necessary evil into something I actually looked forward to.
Public Speaking is important because you have something to say
Plain and simple.
Look, I’m a writer, and I blog, and I have more online friends than real ones, but still, I like talking. As an introvert I probably don’t talk as much as others do, but when the mood and the people are right, talking is awesome!
For me, talking about books, writing, blogging and recently, due to my studies, marketing and business, are my passions. I have a lot to say about these topics, and I love sharing this knowledge with other people.
I understand how terrifying it sounds to deliver speeches and presentations, but it’s all about perception. If you focus on just:
- So many people
- It’s me alone here doing the talking
- omg what if I screw up?
It’s going to be ten times harder to nail this thing. But what if you remind yourself what you really are doing this for?
- A killer grade if it’s a school or college thing
- Yourself and your career if you’re pitching a project
- The good of the world if you’re talking about your passions
The fear doesn’t go away, but most of the energy supplying that fear can become excitement!
Why I started caring about public speaking?
- Most of my friends sucked even more than I do at it, so I took it upon myself to save face at group presentations.
- I started to care about my country’s lack of reading culture, about introvert kids’ plight at schools… and my idealist brain began dreaming up stuff about me delivering conferences and educating people. And I began thinking, and why the hell not? I want this. This is going to be me soon.
So you see, none of these reasons have anything to do with being an extrovert or introvert. Public Speaking is a skill like any other, and its biggest enemy isn’t introversion, it’s just fear. And we all have fear, but like all the cheesy movies say, courage isn’t about not being afraid, but about charging on in spite of that. So today, I encourage you to do exactly that.
Think about what you want to do in your life, the difference you want to make in the world with your own unique skills and consider how public speaking can help you do that.
Great post! Public speaking is a struggle for me. I took a public speaking course for my major and it really helped me grow in confidence.
I’ve looking into enrolling in one, but so far I haven’t found any that caught my attention. Been using the web for tips and watching lots of TED talks though! I’m so happy you had the opportunity to develop that skill more!
Great post! I tend to over prepare for school presentations because I don’t want to go under the time limit that most professors put in place. I’ve never had to speak in public for non-school functions, but I hope to get better at it just in case (:
Time limits! I’ve never been good at those. I just don’t know how to measure how much it’s going to take. And since I don’t exactly practice a lot… This is definitely something I should pay more attention to!
Speaking about things outside of school is SOOO scary but you feel super good with yourself afterwards for having given it a try!
Lovely post, Pam! I totally agree – public speaking is such a useful skill, and I know I hated it when I was younger, but I’ve been practicing at it, because it’s a skill we will ALWAYS need.
I’d like to say I’m perfect with public speaking now – but I’m not. I can hold my own for a couple of minutes, but I struggle the most with thinking as fast as I speak, when it comes to impromptu speeches. Sometimes I just blurt out the first thing I think…and it’s not usually a coherent sentence haha xD
What a great and unique post, Pam! Loved it 🙂
Thank you! That happens to me too! I like to think I’m eloquent enough. The thing is I hate memorizing things, so since I rely on my improvisation skills too much, some stumbles are bound to happen.
I think being an introvert shouldn’t stop us from learning skills. We aren’t born knowing everything. So, everything is learnable!