That moment you’re standing in front of a class of 15, to standing in front of thousands of people who are waiting anxiously for you to say that first word to captivate them. YES! It’s difficult. It’s terrifying. From memorizing verbatim; to not remembering even your introduction.
Les Brown said, “you know what, I get as scared as I possibly can. I stare fear in the face and make a grunt. I talk to myself, and not in an ordinary fashion, either. I yell at myself and said I’M GOING TO GET OFF TODAY!”
That’s what you have to do.
Does Monica Lewinsky ring a bell? This lady went to TED to meet with Chris Anderson and co, and just imagine how terrifying it was for her to finally come out on stage in wake of one of the biggest presidential scandals in the history of America. The feeling of trepidation and sheer terror of facing the audience after it happened was the most gruelling moments of her life; however, when your back is against the wall and have nothing to lose, you deliver.
And so….she did. With a rousing ovation the followed and one of her top critics issuing a formal apology to her. BRAVO!
Anyone know Elon Musk? Spacex? Imagine having two failed launches and the third one a catastrophic failure (explosion). Having a team of hundreds of people sitting in despair waiting to be addressed. At that time, Elon Musk, who was never a great speaker, delivered one of the most heart-stopping speeches whereas it went from catastrophe to triumph – just by his words. That’s the power of a single talk.
Ted, too, had almost died in the wake of the DOTCOM debacle in the early 2000’s. Chris Anderson, who’s head of TED, had to deliver a speech that reasserted the faith into his people whom no longer were on board with TED. 70 employees waiting and again, when all odds are stacked against you, human beings have a tendency of establishing a deliverance. Something that will restore the faith in their family, group, organization, company.
No matter how little confidence you have at present in terms of speaking in public, you can begin to turn it around.
Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/11406435
Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
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