14 I'm scared to death of speaking! Why should I look into Toastmasters?
Description
This article is from the Toastmasters International FAQ, by Joel Furr DTM jfurr@danger.com with numerous contributions by others.
14 I'm scared to death of speaking! Why should I look into Toastmasters?
EVERYONE is afraid of speaking. In poll after poll, "public
speaking" comes up as more feared than "death." Public
speaking is the nation's #1 fear. You are no different. Even
if you think you're really good at speaking, there will come
times when your heart stops and your palms sweat and you
freeze before an audience. Toastmasters can help with that.
Remember that EVERYONE in a Toastmasters club is there because
at some point they realized they needed help communicating and
speaking before audiences. Almost everyone will remember how
wretched they felt when they gave their first speech. You may
be startled to find out how supportive a Toastmasters club
really can be. [The author of this FAQ recruited a friend to
Toastmasters who was so overwrought and nervous that she
sobbed as if her heart was broken after her first speech.
Ditto for the second. Some tears after the third. Eventually
she realized that we weren't going to eat her alive and she
came to enjoy it. By the time she earned her CTM, she
consistently won "best speaker" votes at our meetings.]
If you're aware how nervous you are but aren't convinced that
you should do anything about it, stop and think what skill is
more important than any other when it comes to getting and
keeping a good job?
Think you're already an excellent speaker? People who think
they're really good sometimes come into Toastmasters and find
out how unstructured and sloppy they really are. Being
comfortable doesn't mean that you're actually GOOD. Even if
you ARE good, you can always get better. Toastmasters can
give you a lot of skills and keep good speakers improving.
If you still don't know whether you'd like Toastmasters, why
not visit a meeting? If you still don't think it's your cup
of tea, we'll still be happy you came by.
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