My Journey from Fear to Courage
Share a Personal Story to Connect with Your Audience
I understand what it’s like to feel nervous and unprepared when giving a presentation. When I first started teaching college students in a classroom setting, I was terrified.
As a shy, introverted child, I grew up constantly worrying about what other people were thinking about me. Getting teased in high school only made my shyness worse. I still remember my first public speaking experience in my high school English class. I was standing at the front of the room looking at the sea of faces before me.
My task was to present my essay to the class. Unfortunately, I started to have a panic attack. I remember feeling lightheaded and dizzy just before I started to faint. Grasping the desk chair in front of me kept me from falling down. I never finished my presentation that day. Instead, I walked back to my seat feeling mortified, never wanting to speak in public again.
When I went to Mount Holyoke College, I decided to take steps to become more outgoing. For example, during college I would smile at classmates and make eye contact, even if I felt scared inside. Doing so enabled me to become more extroverted over time.
When I became an art gallery manager at The Society of Arts + Crafts in Boston, I successfully sold artwork by being friendly and welcoming to visitors. That helped me to complete my transformation from being a shy young girl to becoming a more confident woman.
After moving to Colorado in 1996, I started teaching online website design classes. Five years later, I was offered in-person classes on the college’s Denver, Colorado campus.
I vividly remember that first day of class. Rather than hiding behind a computer screen, I was staring at 20 students who were waiting for me to speak. Memories of my fainting episode in high school rose up inside me.
My shyness came flooding back and I wanted to turn and flee the classroom. Instead, I took a deep breath, remembered what I wanted to teach that day, and started speaking. I have never looked back.
I understand why clients and students feel anxious standing in front of an audience. However, I have learned to enjoy speaking by focusing more on my audience and less on myself. That is my story about moving from fear to gaining courage and confidence as a speaker, trainer, and teacher.
Please share your story about moving from fear to courage in your reply. I look forward to reading about your experiences!
