Speak Out Loud!

Standing in front of a room full of people; some doodling, some texting, some on the verge of sleeping, not to mention the wretched few staring at me; but all expecting me to speak was never my idea of fun.

I am painfully shy and a compulsive introvert. All through school and architecture college, I had successfully stayed away from all forms of public speaking to the extent of not raising my hand to respond to questions for which I had the answers.  If I had to make a presentation, I would strive extra hard on the content in the hope of my work speaking for itself. Alas that never worked and eventually I learnt to adjust  but lost out to peers who had the gift of the gab.

Moving on, like a conniving coward, as I was finally reveling in the smugness of ducking yet another obstacle of life, fate with its perverse sense of humour came and hit me bam in the face.

Who would have ever thought a design school would have mandatory public speaking classes?

So here I was, in my first public speaking class with a bunch of mostly gregarious and confident students.  The few that I suspected were stuck in the cold like me, gave such warm and lucid self introductions, I contemplated running out of the room and keep running to end of the earth. To squash all expectations at the very onset, I hammed through my introduction, thereby successfully displaying my complete lack of oratory skills. After several perusals of the course material, I realized class presence and quizzes alone could carry me through the class. Haha I had managed to dodge the bullet again!

However, that quirky little demon, “Bright Idea” which dresses in  black with cape and a wizard’s hat – I am convinced that it hates me to the bones – suddenly appeared on my right shoulder. Though I tried to fight its hypnotic spell, I finally capitulated to its absurd demand of giving the class an honest try.  So I spent the next few weeks reading the text book repeatedly, making bundles of notes, writing, re-rewriting and practicing my speech in front of the mirror until my throat hurt.

At last, came the day of my first speech. I walked up to the podium with a zillion butterflies in my stomach, my heart palpitating at clinically dangerous levels, my throat parched worse than the driest sections of the Sahara, to face a dozen disinterested faces, a few stifled yawns, the blessed bowed heads completing assignments and the beaming encouraging face of the professor.  My breath was coming hard and shallow, my knees were giving away and my head was spinning in sync with the Earth. And then I heard my own voice, strong and clear floating across the room, emphatically raising the bowed heads and wiping off the boredom. I was looking down at forty mesmerized strangers trying to catch onto every word coming out of my mouth.  What sheer power I held!

After the first speech, the next few came much easier and I finished the class with top grades. I subsequently enrolled for the debating class and won each one I participated in.  I took the basics of public speaking and nudged them into every crevice of my life.  Consequently, job interviews and presentations not only became a walkover but my social life suddenly exploded. From being the silent outsider, quietly sipping her drink in the corner, I abruptly metamorphosed into the confident, intelligent raconteur at parties.

Spontaneous public speaking isn’t yet one of my natural abilities. I still write my speech, practice, practice and practice till my throat hurts and I wrestle the butterflies. I know there are many more out there like me; languishing in the shadows, resignedly watching less competent peers march ahead by virtue of the elusive gift of the gab. Hey don’t surrender! Give public speaking one honest attempt and I promise you will soon be ruling the roost.  There are many good books on public speaking in the market but I know, if you are how I used to be, you will never open one of those.  However, I also know that once you have experienced the power of captivating your audience you will buy those books by the dozen and read them voraciously from cover to cover until your pores bleed oratory knowledge.

Here are some basic pointers to take you there:

- Write down the main points of your speech. These could be either just words or short sentences.
- Now format an essay with the words and sentences you have jotted down. There should be introductory paragraph, followed by two or three paragraphs of the body and a concluding paragraph.
- Read this essay aloud. Make necessary corrections. Keep repeating until you are moderately satisfied.
- Now add a suitable anecdote here and there, infuse some humor but please don’t overdo it. If you are not comfortable just skip this step.
- Stand in front of a mirror and read your speech aloud. After a couple of times, try practicing without actually reading your essay.
- Keep practicing until you know your speech almost by heart.
- Now concentrate on your facial expressions, voice modulation and hand gestures. Try to use your body to communicate.
- Keep practicing until you have perfected your speech. This may take many more attempts than you ever imagined. I had to practice my first speech close to thirty times.
- However never try to memorize your speech to the last word, pause and gesture since that will spoil your spontaneity.
- The time has come to deliver!
- Walk up to the podium confidently. Remember all the amazing speakers watching you also had to practice their speeches, felt a zillion butterflies in their stomachs and almost died from shortness of breath.
- Smile – it helps ease nervous energy.
- Breathe, breathe and breathe.
- Look down at your speech, look up at your audience and speak.  Don’t shut your eyes instead look them right in the eye. The adulation will egg you on.
- Finish to the thundering applause and bask in the glory!

Please take that first step and before long you will be progressing in leaps and bounds. Eventually you will master the art but until then keep practicing, smiling, breathing and speaking! Speak out loud.