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Good
morning !
What do you fear?
According to
the Book of Lists most of us fear PUBLIC SPEAKING more
than DEATH. (I suppose the most terrifying sound in the world
would be “Do you have any last words?")
While I
have been unable to find the story printed anywhere, I heard
that Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
was once asked how much he would charge to speak for 5 minutes
in front of a ladies group. His immediate response was “Five
minutes is $500!”. Now $500 back then was an astronomical fee so
his inquisitor gasped. He promptly added “… but if you let me
speak for 2 hours the fee will be $5”. The fact that this man
loved to speak in public is incontestable.
Sweaty
palms and racing heart? Some people faced with “performance
anxiety” will take antianxiety drugs like Xanax or Valium. They
become more relaxed but their performance suffers because they
just “don’t care” if they do well or not. There are other drugs
that work on the symptoms but not on the Psyche. Beta blockers
(like propranolol or atenolol) will block the symptoms of
anxiety but leave you with “the edge” most people need to give a
stellar performance.
How do you
help yourself or others with this kind of anxiety short of
taking drugs? Scouting is a good place to start your young ones.
They may put on the same skit that has been used for over 50
years but they are getting up and speaking in front of a group
of friends and relatives. Be encouraging of their efforts.
In College
I was afraid to speak but became part of a fraternity project
that reached out to 6th graders about
drugs/medications. I felt comfortable enough in my knowledge
base to be able to stand up in front of kids and speak. I knew I
wasn’t 100% successful though when asked by a student “How does
it feel to be an addict?” I went back and refined my
introduction. With practice and more knowledge I and have
presented scientific papers to National meetings of my peers. I
came to enjoy the stimulation and would arm wrestle Mark Twain
for a shot at an audience.
If you are
still afraid to speak in public the best way is to start slowly
but start all the same. Toastmasters anyone?
http://www.toastmasters.org/
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ps. Best answer this week to
the question "How are you?" was
"Bagel-riffic" (someone on a low-carb diet at
the sight of free bagels and cream cheese!)
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