Today, I was able to surprise myself by conquering my stage fright.
I have never felt comfortable speaking in front of the public much more to a crowd not known to me. Adding up to the challenge, we were asked to speak in pure vernaculars. While I seem contained and assured dealing with clients, public presentation is something I have yet to master. The fear of being heckled and critiqued defenselessly consumes me. In more ways than one, this anxiety once controlled my life choices leaving me with regrets and unanswered questions. I have suffered long enough from this anticipatory fear and shame and have decided this has to end.
Unlike every presenter, I did not rehearse. I did not focus on myself. And unusually, I thought of the situation as an opportunity, not a threat. This approach sets myself to go through the presentation without any anxiety. No self criticisms, no internal struggles, and more importantly no stammering. It made me more engrossed on the material and connected with the audiences. I took my emotion and passion for the subject and channeled it to my performance. Surprisingly, I owned the stage. It didn’t feel like my first to address a group of people. Although it wasn’t precisely staged, I was able to get my audiences engaged all throughout. And yes, I can say, it was a success. Another first!
a token of appreciation from my valued client
Comments