Speaking Easily
200 hundred years and speaking in public is still not easy.
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The term speakeasy wandered into English slang in the UK under the cloak of “speak softly shop” in 1823, appeared in Australia around 1837 and the US in 1889.
So we have been talking about speaking easy for nearly 200 years and we are still knocking on the door.
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And it is still a big problem for many people.
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Smugglers, Bootleggers, Moonshiners
All these nefarious types may have needed to speak softly, quietly or easily for a number of reasons. I am not in a position to judge – I wasn’t there!
My question is, after a staggering 200 years:
Why are people still so fearful of speaking out now?
I don’t imagine everyone who struggles with self-confidence or is anxious when called upon to speak would trace back their fear through generations of undiscovered crime.
Your response is not a memory of your heritage, no matter hard we all try to find a reason outside ourselves.
Hands up who is a nervous speaker?
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We’ve discussed this before on these very pages!
.I can feel your rolling gut response even from here!
Someone’s hand is shaking and over there I can hear your breath is coming in much shorter bursts…..
If your eyes have started to dart from side to side……. just stop for a minute, everyone.
Just stop.
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Quick fix or…..?
There are ways to combat this….. It just starts with the first step or maybe putting your public speaking vehicle into first gear.
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Here are a couple of quick questions to get your public speaking engine running:
When was the first time you spoke in public and it didn’t go well?
Has that memory stayed with you forever?
Do you remember at all what started the terror for you with speaking in public?
Do you want your anxiety response to continue for the rest of your life?
Some honest yes and no answers here will lead you to your next step.
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If speaking in public is a problem for you and you’d like to reduce that impact on yourself, here is the first thing to do.
Make a declaration to yourself that this is going to change.
Take a stand against the wobbles and SIGN UP to some classes, DOWNLOAD some online courses, JOIN a community theatre group or JUST SAY to yourself…..
NO MORE FEAR!
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Pick a remedy and let me know in the box below how you went…. yes this a time-delayed invitation to comment…
