I Suppose Public Speaking isn't THAT Scary

The MLHR program requires many group projects and a lot of speaking in front of the class.  Public speaking is something that I am terrified of.  I don’t know why.  There really is no logic behind being afraid of speaking in front of people.  I keep trying to remind myself that I have done many other things in my life that are much more scary than public speaking, such as scuba diving.  Possibly getting eaten by a shark or separated from my group at 100 feet while scuba diving should cause me more fear than speaking in front of a group of my peers.  Well, that is not the case!

I expressed my fear of speaking in front of a group to one of my classmates who is a Teaching Assistant and she immediately said, “Come speak in front of my class on Monday.”  Initially I wanted to say no, but I realized that she was offering me a great opportunity to practice in front of a group of students who I will most likely never see again.  So, I agreed.

I did a short presentation on my Myers Briggs personality test results in front of her class this morning.  I was definitely terrified and I shook the entire time, but that really was the worst of it.  I am so thankful to my classmate for giving me the opportunity to practice speaking in front of her students and allowing me to face my fear head on.  It will only get easier from here!