Member-only story
Fear of Public Speaking is Real and it’s Stupid — The Faux Louvre pg261
Colorful companion to my memoir The Incompetent Psychic
A fear of public speaking had been limiting me so long as to become embarrassing. Three years of art festivals and I was still an emotional case before and after every one. I never tried to stand in front of a room of people and teach, either. I looked around and there was a Toastmasters group two blocks from my back door. There was no excuse.
A Toastmasters meeting is divided into two parts. It begins with short exercises in speaking extemporaneously, then everyone listens to six-minute prepared speeches from a couple of members. Listening turns out to be as important as speaking in an environment of mutual support. I needed to learn that skill, too. People volunteer to take on different tasks. The Grammarian counts all the filler words that get in the way of clear communication — all the ums, ahs, y’knows, and beginning a sentence with, “So….” Members take on the role of being an Evaluator for a speaker. An evaluator quickly prepares and gives a three-minute talk about the presentation during the second half.
That first meeting I listened to the speeches, and was assured this was a group of amateurs who were just trying to do the best they could. Then the evaluators got up and…
