Public Speaking Fears
You've heard the surveys before, I'm sure:
Most people would rather die than have to give a speech in front of a group of people.
I get that - boy do I ever understand where they're coming from.
A while back I recorded a short video titled "How To Overcome Stuttering."
When I was a kid, I used to stutter like Porky Pig. Others may refer to the condition as a Speech Impediment or Stammering.
I avoided anything that had to do with public speaking.
I was OK in front of my friends for the most part because I could control the direction of the conversation and use words that were the most comfortable for me.
When I watched the Overcome Stuttering Video again recently, I noticed there were many business lessons woven throughout the teaching.
One of the reasons I stuttered so much was because I was worried about being judged by others, which only added to the problem.
You know about being judged, right?
You know how difficult life can be when others are slinging arrows at you.
I also realized that when I created speaking momentum, I was less likely to stutter.
I share a story in the video when I had to read from the Bible at my 8th grade graduation from St Bernard's. By far, the most nerve wracking 5 minutes of my life. Watch the video at the end of this post and you'll understand why.
I finally conquered my speaking demons in my late teens. I stopped feeding the nonsense of worrying what others thought and began taking control of my life.
I realized that my inability to speak was a result of all the pressure I put on myself to sound perfect, which is ridiculous. Even the most seasoned professional speakers do not sound perfect.
My buddies till razz me about some of the things I say and how I say them but I just send them to EverydyayIsSaturday.com and that clams them up rather quickly;)
How much pressure are you placing on yourself to be perfect?
Who's expectations are you striving to meet...yours or someone else's?
Take a few minutes and watch the video below. It serves as a great reminder that nobody is perfect and thank God for that!
Turn your mess into a message and celebrate how unique you really are.
I make my living doing the one thing I feared the most when I was younger: Public Speaking.
What's the one thing you fear the most? Chances are, it's the one thing you need to start doing today.
If you know anyone who suffers from public speaking anxiety or stuttering, please pass this blog post along to them.
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