Public Speaking! What to be afraid of?

Public speaking is something that makes many youngsters "shiver" whenever they talk about it. To be more precise, it's the intensified feeling before and during the time they are in front of many people that causes this phenomenon. Unfortunately, each and every one of us has to suffer from the fear of public speaking and overcome it so as to be a competitive individual in this overcrowded job market. Whether it's a small in-class presentation or a speech to hundreds of people, we all need to possess and apply many skills to better deliver our messages and reveal who we really are.

But the question is, "How can we acquire these skills?" You must have known the answer since you are on the Exiact blog, don't you? Yes, by joining extracurricular activities! Extracurricular activities are varied, and some can help you with improving your public speaking skills and acquiring other interpersonal skills. To make this blog longer, er, more specific, let's see how two of Exiact's founders conquer the fear of public speaking and "slay on their own stages" by joining extracurricular activities.

Mango's Story

I'm just a little girl who was born and raised in a small, mountainous city where extracurricular activities have just become popular in recent years. Therefore, a lot of students, especially high school ones, aren't really enthusiastic about these activities. Luckily, we still had the opportunity to participate in clubs and some competitions to improve our soft skills. Once I won an MC contest, and then I became the MC for my school's celebration of Teacher's Day. At first, I didn't think I could do this, but after trying to step outside of my comfort zone, I realized that I hadn't made the wrong decision. How cool I was! It was a really fun and memorable experience. At that time, when I put on my beautiful dress and walked step by step on the stage, I really felt like I was a princess walking in the prom. It's so great that I overcame my fear and became confident enough to stand and host a big show like that. Besides, I could also learn about problem-solving skills, and thanks to that, I was able to expand my networking because more people knew who I was.  

That was also the first step that I've taken to develop myself, and after that, I became more courageous and participated in more activities. Each activity gave me a different experience to upgrade my skills. Of course, during that journey, I had to go through the pressure and things that made me upset. There were times when I stood frozen on the stage like a statue because I didn't know what to do next; sometimes I felt like I was so impotent that I burst into tears because I had no idea about my script, and there were also times that I was afraid since I thought I wouldn't be able to fulfill my tasks. But after all, I realized that all of my efforts are completely worth it because the values that I get from those extracurricular activities will be what I need to pursue my dreams in the near future.

At first, I didn't care about that contest until my class supervisor teacher encouraged me to enter it. I can't even believe that I was able to speak in public because I was too scared of the crowd, and I also believed that I was the most useless person in the world. Magically, after some effort, I passed the qualifying round, the quarter-finals round, and the semifinal round, and then I went straight to the final round and became the winner. From my story, I just want to say that nothing is impossible. Just do what you like; step out of the box that holds you back; it won't be a bad decision. As long as you keep working hard, good things will come to you. Don't be afraid; just believe in yourself.

Tony's Story

I've been drawn into extracurricular activities, especially those involving being on stage, since I was a primary school pupil. Yes, it feels extremely nerve-racking and embarrassing to stand in front of hundreds of people, but I love that somehow. And I'm grateful for these feelings and opportunities because I have gained many precious experiences that are crucial and helpful as I grow up.

I was honored to be the host of several events at the English center where I used to study and at my secondary school and high school. The exhilaration of my first time being assigned the MC role at a Mid-Autumn Festival event has never faded, no matter how many years have passed. That time, I could not help but feel excited and nervous at the same time. Of course, I made lots of mistakes, as it was my very first time being an MC. I could not control the flow of the show when unexpected things happened; all I was able to do was read the script and try my best to maintain a calm face despite my panicked mind every single second on stage like a real able-to-speak mannequin, which is so nostalgically embarrassing now that I recall. I was also a little disappointed in myself honestly. But at the end of the day, it was not that bad as I learned a lot through my first time, and I also found that I have a great interest in being an MC. 

Fortunately, I had quite a lot of opportunities to improve my problem-solving skills through being the host of a series of events thereafter. After each event, I learned different lessons about public speaking and on-stage skills. At this point, I have accumulated many experiences and skills from being an MC to apply in my university life as well as workplace life in the future, including public speaking, teamwork, emotional control, and probpro-solving. I won't stop learning and improving, for sure, because there are still weaknesses that I need to work on. If anyone asks me whether I still feel nervous when being on stage, the answer will always be "yes." Tension, anxiety, and nervousness are familiar feelings that we could never avoid when it comes to being in front of so many people. However, we are able to control them and cover them with confidence. You know, "Fake it ‘til you make it!" I’ve also learned that keeping calm is the key to nailing the stage. There may be unexpected problems on stage when I must pick one among many solutions within just a few seconds. This is when a calm mind works to its fullest. Being an MC, I always have to work with many people to make sure that the show goes smoothly, and sometimes I need to work with a co-MC as well, which requires me to adjust myself a bit in order to harmonize with their performance. 

I just want to tell youngsters like me out there that joining extracurricular activities would never be a regret, and public speaking really is scary, but you’ll nail it anyway as long as you believe in yourself and work hard to improve yourself. Sometimes, you need to utilize those negative feelings as your motivation to move forward. And values will be there when they realize your effort. 

Let's wrap this all up

Extracurricular activities can provide young people with so many values that are fundamental for their growth but apparently impossible to attain in class. Two of Exiact's founders have their own special stories to tell, but at the end of the day, they have one thing in common: they both have gained and improved interpersonal skills such as public speaking, teamwork, problem-solving, self-motivation, decision-making, emotional intelligence, etc. through extracurricular activities. At this point, standing in front of the crowd is no longer a horrible scene for them, as they profoundly know what it takes to ooze confidence and show themselves. If you're finding difficulties in public speaking and finding solutions to them, don't hesitate to partake in extracurricular activities involving speaking in front of more people such as clubs, public speaking competitions, etc. It could be a small group of people at the beginning and then more people as you improve gradually. Make sure to feel free to express yourself, your opinions, and your personalities because you are truly unique and special. Keep in mind that anxiety and nervousness are absolutely normal feelings, and most of us suffer from glossophobia, or the so-called fear of public speaking. We have a small tip for you before coming on stage: just keep telling yourself that "Everything will be okay; I can do this!" And have fun. That's all for this blog. Exiact hopes that you've found something helpful from our sharing. Don't forget to leave some comments below to share you own stories. Thanks for reading!!!