I was making small talk with someone recently and when she found that I teach public speaking, she told me about her 8th grade daughter who wanted to run for student council but wouldn't if it meant she had to give a speech in front of the whole school.
I frequently draw analogies between public speaking and swimming. A fear of water can be psychologically devastating, inconvenient and even dangerous. A fear of public speaking can mean that you are opting out of important personal and professional opportunities because you will do anything not to speak in front of a group.
Take a few minutes to watch this video about how a young man overcame his fear of water. He made a significant investment of time and money to obtain private instruction over a three week period but it did pay off. He can now go in the water and even float and swim.
There is no substitute for repeated exposure, practice, constructive feedback and more practice if you want to overcome a fear of speaking in public. Doing so will allow you to embrace opportunities that you have been avoiding. What do you have to lose?
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