These shouldn’t even have come about in the first place. But since these myths have clouded people’s perception about public speaking, we wanted to step forward and clarify them. So here we go.
Experienced speakers don’t get nervous – If they do, they are not experienced speakers. Absolutely wrong. Every speaker gets nervous. However they counter nervousness by practing again and again. What most nervous people do is hide their nervousness by not speaking. While this can go on for awhile, it is not the long term fix that one should be doing. One should start doing things that decrease nervousness. Know that you are in control of your speech, nothing else matters. Remember what Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speakers in the world – The Nervous and The Liars”
Speeches are best memorized – No. Never. Read and reread your points. Know them by heart, but don’t memorize the entire speech. Simple rehearse enough that you can forget it – meaning at one point it will become a second nature to you. Now that you know the main points, opening statement and conclusion will flow easily.
You need years of practice to become a great speaker - Again, just like any skill, any sport, public speaking too requires frequent, constant practice. It gets better after each practice. So if you want to be a good speaker fast, practice more. You can even join more competitions or get creative with how you include speaking skills in daily life routine.
If anyone tells you not to take up public speaking / public speaking is hard because of the reasons we’ve mentioned above – shut them out. You don’t need that kind of negativity in life. To learn is one thing. To learn correctly is another. So let’s not blindly believe in myths and inhibit our progress.
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