All my life, I’ve suffered from terrible stage fright. Any time more than three pairs of eyes turned toward me with anticipation, my body went straight to Defcon 1. My face flushed, my chest constricted, my breathing turned rapid and shallow, my voice got all high and quivery, my hands trembled, my heart pounded, and my pulse thundered so loudly in my ears that even if I was able to sputter out a few words, I couldn’t hear them.
Needless to say, I grew quite adept at avoiding any situation that might require me to speak to others.
A few years ago, I found myself bored and unchallenged in my personal life. I had been snugly within my comfort zone for way too long. In an effort to shake things up a little and experience a bit of personal growth, I decided to come face-to-face with this fear and develop some public speaking skills. To this end, I sought out a Toastmasters club.
If you are not familiar with the organization, Toastmasters International comprises thousands of local clubs, all following a tried-and-true method of overcoming public speaking difficulties and developing the skills, techniques and experience necessary to perform in front of others. Many people seem to have the idea that you have to be a polished speaker to join Toastmasters, while just the opposite is true. That’s where you learn to become one.
My phobia was so pronounced that I had difficulty even entering the room for my first meeting. Before I actually crossed the threshold, though, a smiling face greeted me, welcomed me, shook my hand and literally drew me into the room. [A thousand thanks, Nathan!] Despite my anxiety, I enjoyed that first meeting. I returned to visit again, and requested a membership application at the end of that second meeting.
I’ve been an active member of Toastmasters International for almost three years now, and I could go on for pages about the benefits and personal growth I’ve enjoyed as a result. Since Toastmasters, its clubs and events are still a vital part of my daily life, the subject will no doubt recur in these postings from time to time. But there’s one special part of that experience that I want to share with you today.
Each year, Toastmasters sponsors a series of speech contests that begin in the local clubs. Club winners in a given area go on to compete with one another, area winners advance to compete against other areas in their division, and so on through the organizational layers. The culmination of this round of contests is the World Championship of Public Speaking contest held at the Toastmasters International Convention each year. There some of the finest presenters in the world meet to compete with one another for the title of World Champion of Public Speaking.
This excitement has been enjoyed by Toastmasters for 85 years now, but soon it will be available in documentary form for everyone to enjoy. A film crew worked behind the scenes at the 2007 World Championship of Public Speaking and produced a movie titled SpeakEasy. It is scheduled for release in January 2010, but the trailer is available now. I hope it will show you the energy, the enthusiasm and the drama of this event.
I’ve not yet attended an international convention, but look forward to doing so one day. This trailer has certainly boosted my interest. I’m on alert, waiting for the first opportunity to see the movie itself, and I’ll be sure to let you know when it has been released.
And if this looks like fun to you—or if it looks like the scariest thing in the world—perhaps you’d be interested in finding out what Toastmasters has to offer. There’s a “find a club” search button on their website. Don’t be afraid. Visit a meeting, and expect to find friendly, welcoming people who are genuinely glad to see you and eager to explain the program. If that’s not what you find, visit a different meeting!