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Some people seem naturally able to speak to a group, and pull it off with flying colors. Some people, like my wife, do a lot of public speaking. She, for example, gives a weekly sermon, opening & closing the Sunday service, at least 2 Bible study groups per week, plus various business meetings. Obviously, she's very good at it.

I, on the other hand, have very few required duties for public speaking. I'm a computer guy. I sit in a cubicle and talk to computers. Sundays I hide behind the sound board, or help hold down a restless 4-year old in the front pew.

My verbal-fu is weak. I have no l33t sp33ch g1\/1ng sk!11z. I am a ToastN00ber.



Since we (my wife & I) often have people over for dinner at our house, sometimes
we offer a toast- with the best fake booze money can buy. I'll fumble through it painfully.

The moment of enlightenment for me was at a dinner a few weeks ago.

We had a couple over for dinner- so our family could thank & honor their family. We had planned on giving them a toast, but I was dreading having to speak. At the last minute, right as my wife was pouring the glasses, I whispered to her "Why don't you give the toast?"

Not my most manly moment.

She got a panicked look in her eyes, and without time to argue with me, she gave the toast. It reflected the lack of preparation I had forced upon her. Inside I was embarrassed by my actions.

That dinner told me it was high time I stepped up and I fixed that.

Public speaking is a learned skill, not a born talent. The only way to get better is to declare war on internal fear. I'm going to battle, and here's my plan of attack:

1 - Find & Join a Public Speaking Group
I found a local ToastMasters club. The whole purpose of ToastMasters is to help teach people to be better public speakers. This particular club meets for 45 minutes, once a week. Each meeting has 2 formal 5-minute speeches, and about 5 "table topic" speeches to practice impromptu speaking.

The one I joined happened to be in the same building where I work. No excuses for not attending the weekly meetings!

There are other groups out there. For example, I used to be in a BNI group, which has a small component of speaking. (I'll rant on BNI at a later date...) I didn't really harness the potential for speaking growth there, as I was focusing on building a self-employment business.


2 - Never turn down an opportunity to speak
I now have a personal policy to always speak when asked. Fear or no fear, I'm going to accept whatever speaking challenge comes before me.

Since making this decision, I've found that I'm excited to speak! Yes, I'm still nervous - but I'm committed to speaking when I can.

This leads me to...


3 - Never apologize for poor speaking performance
If I keep saying that I'm horrible at public speaking, then I'll keep thinking that's true. If I say that to other people, they'll think it's true as well. My plan is to never apologize while speaking.

How many times have you listened to someone speaking, and they say "I'm really nervous" - then their speech promptly falls apart as they cave in to their fear? Don't do it.


I've already put my plan into action, and I'm happy with the results so far. My next time speaking will be (unless something pops up before that) my ToastMaster's "Ice Breaker" speech. It's the first real speech a member gives, and it's focus is introducing myself to the group. Wish me luck!



Related Links
- Six Minutes - Speaking tips
- ToastMasters International
- History & detailed info on ToastMasters