Stage-fright!
By Aparna Sen
@Dreamerby (3048)
Calcutta, India
October 7, 2023 10:58am CST
My dad has the gift of the gab. He can literally speak on any topic in front of any type of audience. Whereas I am the exact opposite. We used to have those speaking tests/extempore at school. I remember not being able to sleep the night before my first extempore at the age of 10. Since then I have been channeling through my fear of rejection and mockery. I was glad to have a language teacher who made us face the audience ample times before the final test. Initially, I failed miserably. I was flummoxed, kept on making grammatical errors and after 2-3 sentences, I couldn't mouth a proper sentence anymore. I was terribly ashamed of myself and I knew I had put myself down.
The only thing that has helped me survive this challenge is the fact that I am a chimerical optimist. I was not letting go easily.
Years have passed. In my first 3 semesters of college, I took up credit courses on speaking/articulation/business english. And there I was given a real podium and a ppt to demonstrate infront of 30 odd people. I know 30 sounds like 3 for some but the fact that I could demonstrate an entire ppt with just 1 hour preparation without stuttering made me proud of myself.
Are you a good speaker? Have you suffered from stage fright like me?
Drop some tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking.
5 people like this
4 responses
@writerjo (2544)
• Chennai, India
7 Oct
@Dreamerby I am not a good speaker.
Stage fright is normal to all those who are standing in stage first time , that first experience , doubt about our speech , some lagging atmosphere.
One can overcome this troubles after a good training.
One tip I can give is as soon as you stand on the stage & got a mic "Just be bold & come to conclusion that nobody before you knows nothing" ( just an assumption not true ) or think that audience are your close friends.
You are a good speaker now
1 person likes this
@Dreamerby (3048)
• Calcutta, India
8 Oct
Yes true. This tip is helpful indeed. Thanks!!
How's your day?
1 person likes this
@writerjo (2544)
• Chennai, India
8 Oct
@Dreamerby Okay fine.You're welcome always.My day is going good .
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.
1 person likes this
@writerjo (2544)
• Chennai, India
9 Oct
@Dreamerby Are you going to perform on the stage Aparna ?
It's okay you can practice in front of the mirror..
It is good method of self-training
@kaka135 (14916)
• Malaysia
26 Oct
That's a good challenge for you, and it's something to be proud of yourself too! 
I am not a good speaker. I like one-to-one talk, but when I need to talk in front of even a small group of people, I will get nervous.
There was once I took up a challenge to volunteer to participate in a speech competition in high school. I was really nervous at the beginning, then I kept practicing in front of my class, and managed to go on stage in front of the whole school. I guess that was the only time I stood in front of so many people and talked. Though I was still nervous, perhaps having practices and well preparation made it better. It was a good experience for me, though I am still nervous when talking in front of people.... 
I am not a good speaker. I like one-to-one talk, but when I need to talk in front of even a small group of people, I will get nervous.
There was once I took up a challenge to volunteer to participate in a speech competition in high school. I was really nervous at the beginning, then I kept practicing in front of my class, and managed to go on stage in front of the whole school. I guess that was the only time I stood in front of so many people and talked. Though I was still nervous, perhaps having practices and well preparation made it better. It was a good experience for me, though I am still nervous when talking in front of people.... 1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86976)
• United States
19 Oct
You are great to master it and keep going despite some challenges.
For some reason, I had never been shy of speaking scenarios.
The only tip I can say is..just envision your audience as if they are a bunch of sea creatures.
