Sep 22 2008
I Have The Right To Remain Silent!
Are you afraid of speaking in front of large audiences? It is one of the most common fears. Some face the fear head on taking classes to learn to speak well. Some have no choice, as it is required by their job to speak in front of an audience.
If I have to give a speech in front of people I do not know at all, I get physically ill. I have been fortunate as to not have to give many speeches. If I know some of the people, I am a little more relaxed. I’ve had to give speeches at three different weddings.
The first occasion was the wedding of one of my best friend’s. She insisted that I had to give a toast because I was the maid of honor. I was unaware of this rule at the time (we were only 22). For this one, my voice was calm and steady, but my hands shook visibly. I was a little less nervous than I would be otherwise because I knew about ¼ of those attending and another ¼ didn’t speak English.
The second wedding was my sister’s. She did not ask me to give a speech and I was not her maid of honor, but I wanted to give a speech. I was lying in bed one night and the words just came. It was a bit of a roast as well as full of love and warm wishes. I was not at all nervous at this one because I knew 75% of the guests. My voice shook, however, because the DJ shoved the microphone in my face as I was reaching my seat, before I could even take a drink to wet my whistle. Everyone thinks I was emotional, though.
The third was my other best friend’s wedding (my longest friend – 27 years), which was almost 5 years ago. She had not asked anyone to give a speech, nor did she have a maid of honor, simply because she could not choose. Another bridesmaid and I decided, shortly after the ceremony, that someone should speak from her side because two of the groomsmen were speaking. The speech was a bit spontaneous. I came up with a general idea shortly before giving the speech. This time, I was a mess. Not only did I not know very many of the guests (she moved shortly after High School to two different states, so there were a lot of newer friends), I have been friends with her since Kindergarten. It was emotional for me. My voice shook throughout the speech and, toward the end, my hands trembled and I began to cry, which sent everyone else into tears.
I am thankful that all of my closest friends and family members are married so that I do not have to give another speech! God only knows what would happen at the next one!
Thanks for the comments in the past. Just a quick question, how did you get your view count up? I can’t seem to find a way to increase my views no matter what I try.
I used to be way too shy for public speaking… no one would believe it now though :)
I gt a little nervous about speaking in front of people on the fly. As long as I have time to prepare, I do okay. Either way, most people say they can’t tell I was nervous.
I love public speaking. I prefer talking to 1,200 people than to 12 people. I like knowing that all eyes on me. I am the center of attention and that whatever happens, as Pee-Wee Herman once said, I meant to do that. I also don’t fear death, which is second on most lists behind public speaking.
flit,I hear practice and those classes really do help!
justathought, no matter how prepared, I am nervous. Sometimes, the more I think about it the more freaked out I get!
xzchief, I’m the type that tries to avoid a lot of eyes on me. I don’t fear my own death, I’d say the death of loved ones comes before public speaking…then heights/public speaking are tied. If you asked me to give a speech from a balcony, I’d shit myself!
Milena, thanks.
When I have to speak infront of a crowd- i feel like my forehead grows a few feet and suddenly starts reflecting all the light… then I can’t see. nice article.
I hate speaking in public. I get nervous and anxious way before I have to actually do it, and then when I’m speaking I just flow right through it but try not to make too much eye contact or I start forgetting what I was going to say. I was one of those kids in school during the speech class looking down at her notecards the whole time. :)
-Diana
http://single.today.com
I guess I’m an attention-hog, so I use speaking in public to my advantage. Whenever I got nervous in the past, I just pretended to be someone else that I knew would handle the situation confidently. For instance, before going to court, I used to pretend to be Laura Flynn Boyle’s character from “The Practice”. It worked like a charm.
glue4families.today.com
I’ve always been extremely nervous in similar situations, but I generally find that the first word’s the hardest, after you get that out it all gets better.
I think the audience plays a big part. If they are friendly, it helps…I’ve had to do speeches for school in the past and if the class is unwelcoming, it makes anything you say feel like lead.
I’m a talkative person by nature so it’d make sense for me to be relaxed when speaking to a group, right? Not really. I’m fine with kids, in fact I love talking and teaching kids. It’s adults that make me nervous. The funny thing is, give me a microphone and let me sing in front of 1000s of people and there’d be no problem! Go figure…
Isn’t it funny? The fine line between comfort and discomfort?
BlogNow101, that can be difficult for a lot of people. If I am getting a cold or negative feeling from someone I don’t know, I have a hard time with that too.