Memoirs of an Amnesiac

I am a shy person. Yes, you read it right. I am shy. But most of the people who knew me think otherwise. They always refer to my eloquence at writing and delivering speeches. They never really know. I get all the jitters each time. May it be a simple introduction to an important speaker, an announcement of the winners in a contest, an explanation to a query, any form of speech (whether long as in a speech of thanks for winning an award in the Oscars, or short as in just plainly saying thank you), as long as it is said in public, I am never in my right mind when I do. My knees shake; my heart palpitates and skips a beat (making my life shorter). It is as if I'm being possessed by some form of demon. And for the life of me, I actually deliver things as if I am not me ( sometimes I wish I could see myself as part of the crowd and actually hear myself speak). I guess that is how my adrenaline works. It adapts and responds to the tension.

I'm not about to tell you about my shyness in speaking. What I do want to tell you is what I did to overcome it. (Because I need to or I'll lose my job!) These could get to be lengthy. (You'll have to bear with me because I'm the one speaking here.)

First, "Fear is almost always built on a lie. Deal with the lie and the fear will die." According to statistics, the fear of snakes and other crawling creatures is not really the number one on the list of fears. It is actually the fear of speaking in public. There is just something about standing in front, all of the audience's eyes directed on you as if they're hungry wolves ready to devour you. Fear is normal. What is not normal is when your body system reacts exaggeratedly to it. One must learn to use that fear to channel one's adrenaline to doing something. You can't get away with fear. If there is nothing to fear, there is not much excitement, too. Your mind tends to become idle and so you lose the adrenaline. Determine what causes your fear and address it right away. I am always intimidated by a large crowd. So what I do is that I usually don't wear my eyeglasses (because I'm near sighted) so that I wouldn't have to worry about what my audience's reactions are (works well for me the whole time).

Second, nothing beats preparation. Know what you should be talking about. Who, what, when, where, and why are such important interrogative pronouns to answer. When you come fully armed with answers to these, then fear is lessened.

Third, know that there is no other person more capable than you to deliver it. Once you know this fact, (yes, it is a fact), you will be more than willing to do the job. We all need a little dose of prepping up. And who else would do it for us, but our own selves?

Fourth, half of the battle is won in the mind. More than psyching up yourself is the task of actually rehearsing everything in your mind. You have to give in to the idea that you are going to do a great speech in your mind and you are going to be just fine after.

Fifth, just do it. How are you able to learn how to speak well when you won't even do it? It is just difficult at the start but once you do get the hang of it, you'll get yourself large doses of pats in your back (including your hand).

Yes, I am a shy person, but this does not stop me from speaking because I know I have something to share. Each time I do, I get full satisfaction from it. And that little knowledge that the butterflies in my stomach are actually arranged in a line, ready to flap their wings.