Public speaking is fun.
Public speaking is energy.
Public speaking is creativity.
Public speaking is emotion.
Public speaking is passion.
When my seminar companions start their challenging journey from comfort zone to magical zone many of them only share negative thoughts about public speaking. They talk negatively about it; they expect negative things to happen. They claim that public speaking for them is nothing but fear, anxiety, angst.
Public speaking ranks among the top three human fears around the globe – from Australia to Zimbabwe. We prefer to watch Mary Poppins ten times in a row than standing in front of an applauding crowd. And yet, after just 48 hours the vast majority of my seminar companions have completely changed their opinion about public speaking.
Suddenly, public speaking is fun, energy, creativity, emotion, and passion.
Why?
In life we love to run away from our fears. We only face our fears when we are forced to face them.
Like people suffering from fear of flying. They don’t step onto a plane. Until they start working for a consultancy firm. Then, five months and 30 business flights later they don’t care about flying anymore.
How much would I’ve loved that someone had forced me onto that stage of the Cat’s Meow in New Orleans in 1995. But – no one did. My fear overpowered me. I missed a great chance of personal growth when I refused to sing on that world famous Karaoke stage.
Public speaking has taught me many lessons. The most important lesson is that the fear imposed by our inner voice is nothing but a cheat!
Get on that stage and sing! Get on that plane and enjoy new places! Get up on your feet and speak in public!
Lock up your fears and you will unlock fun, energy, creativity, emotion and passion.
Sometimes it only takes 48 hours.