How to conquer your fear of public speaking

If the idea of speaking in front of a large crowd makes you quiver and shiver, hopefully, you will find solace in the fact that you’re not the only one who is feeling the jitters. I should know because the first time I offered classes on public speaking many years ago, many showed up in their eagerness to learn how to conquer their fear of speaking before the public.

Glossophobia, a term that refers to the fear of public speaking, manifests when you are expecting to ascend on stage to make a speech or do a presentation in front of many people. Fear of public speaking can prevent you from sharing your ideas or presenting your work that can affect your growth --- personally and professionally, with ease and clarity.

I am once again holding public speaking classes called The Huddle, which commenced with a trial session last September at the Conrado Benitez Hall of Philippine Women’s University (PWU). It was attended by students, colleagues in the academe, entertainment editors and writers, and personalities from various industries.

In my public speaking classes, I don’t “teach” people how to speak before the public but I help them discover their power to tell their own story. But if you come to my class and you say that you want to be the most brilliant, eloquent public speaker, well, you need 10,000 classes to be able to develop the kind of speaker you’re talking about. What is important is for you to eventually realize that the best teacher in public speaking is yourself because the most powerful tool that you use in public speaking is your story and that story is unique.

In 2018, when Catriona Gray represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe held in Thailand, she sent me a text message asking if I could send her a quote that would help her introduce herself during her grand entrance. I sent her a quote from Maya Angelou, “I come as one, I stand as 10,000.” Catriona was so brilliant that she paraphrased it to, “I come as one, I stand as 104 million Filipinos.”

It reflected how Catriona stayed connected to her core. And that’s what I meant about telling your own story. Public speaking is staying connected to your truth. That’s what public speaking is all