Public speaking on my fingertips (By Esha Paswan)

Trembling hands, sweaty palms, cold sweat, irregular pounding heartbeats and not being able to make eye contacts while talking? Yes! We’ve all been through these at some point in our life. We have all been nervous in our life at least once. But the ones who overcome these has the ability to achieve the great things in life ahead. 

 While the feeling of being heard might sound good but to be able to express what we feel might not be that easy to some of us. 

Since the early days of my school life, I remember to be the kind of kid who liked blabbering. Be it my favorite color or any random sparrow in the sky, I would always have an opinion on every little thing in the world. 

I remember telling my mother all the incidents that happened all day in school – the funny ones, sad, happy or bad. My mum always knew that her little girl who wouldn’t stop talking – would grow up to be a good public speaker. True to her belief, I did participate in many competitions in my school where I spoke confidently. 

But is public speaking really that easy as it seems? Does it require for you to be a chatterbox like me to speak well in public? The answer to this would be a big “No”. No! You do not have to be a blabber mouth to deliver a good speech. All that it requires is a little confidence and a belief on your own self. 

Public speaking is all about knowing the subject you’re going to talk about. And for that you need to prepare, prepare and prepare some more. Once you’re comfortable with your material you would feel a lot more confident while speaking. 

Many of us often suffer from what is commonly known as the stage fright. Being unable to speak to large crowd stops you from achieving your goals. The fear of getting judged upon the moment you step in to speak is at times bigger than the huge audience itself. The best way to conquer your stage fright is to know what you’re talking about. 

Being yourself while expressing your thoughts help people trust you more, hence the thought of being judged upon ends. People tend to relate and remember things better when they see the real you. 

Being a Mass communication student, all that I’m taught in my institute is to know your audience well and deliver a good speech confidently that people can relate with easily. 

Even after knowing all these tips and tricks, there are times when you’re nervous and you make mistakes. To quote Alexander Pope – “To err is Human.” You are bound to make mistakes. Don’t lose hope, always remember there’s nothing to be ashamed of your mistakes.