http://www.butterytoastmaster.com Rebecca Anstett - Words in a Café Culture Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:14:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.butterytoastmaster.com/2008/11/conquering-fear/ http://www.butterytoastmaster.com/2008/11/conquering-fear/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:54:47 +0000 rebecca http://www.butterytoastmaster.com/?p=9 When it comes to successful public speaking, fear needs to be abolished. Trepidation, absolutely. Nerves, sure. But fear? What’s the worst that can happen? Sure, you could stutter or stumble over your words, or you could draw a complete blank, but in the general scheme of tragedy, it pales in comparison to a comet hurling itself at the earth or the DOW taking a horrific dive. When I am in front of a room full of people, I feel omnipotent. I also recognize the fact that I may blunder and I simply acknowledge the thought and release it. I used to be a person who memorized – writing and rehearsing, quite machine-like. I found this to induce pressure and stress. Now, I am working to master the art of speaking off the cuff. There is always another thought to be expressed, another word to exit my lips. There is no pressure to remember, but rather to recollection and be creative. It was incredibly flattering to hear the comments from my fellow club members after (yet another) off the cuff speech – that I would be a fantastic teacher; that I would have made history fun (I gave a speech on recollecting the past). I wonder what my life would have been like if I would have made teaching my profession…after all, this is one (of many) suggested professions for an ENFP.

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