Public Speaking - Shoot Me!

I've written about the fear of speaking in front of a group people before and I decided to write again after reading an article in Entrepreneur.com on the same topic which you can find under this post title. It's a great article that provides some helpful tips but, tips alone are not enough. If you have never done it and even if you want to do it, if the fear is too great you are deaf, dumb, and blind, to all the tips.

When I started my career in Purchasing back in the late 1970's I had a great Mentor who pushed me to go beyond my self imposed barriers. She believed in me and saw something in me that I did not recognized in myself. She always pushed me with gentle positive reinforcement and allowed me to make the decision. In her first push towards greatness she asked me to speak in front of over 100 staff members including the most senior in the company who prior to me speaking probably didn't even know my name. Mrs. Marge Fadden said, "Ray, you should do this, you will be great. It is the perfect opportunity to present your innovative ideas and be heard." My response was of course , "Public Speaking - Just shoot me!"

Long story short, I knew she was right about the attention and recognition that would be garnered in this one opportunity but why I did it was more for her. I did not want to disappoint her. I did speak in front of that large group and I was nervous, I shook, and in my mind the time flew by in the blink of an eye. Upon return to my seat I was congratulated on a great job. Not one person in the room saw what I was feeling. My first lesson was learned; if you speak loudly people don't hear the shaky voice and they don't see what I feel in the pit of my stomach.

Over the next 30 years I have spoken in front of Prospects, Customers, Bankers, in Large Boardroom gatherings to Hotel Venues and now I train people in the art of sales. Who knows where I would be today if I did not take the leap into public speaking on the encouragement of Mrs. Marge Fadden. That was my second lesson; "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained".