Thoughts On... Public Speaking

Like many others, the term public speaking instantly unlocks a pit in my stomach. I have my own long saga of stage fright, presentation nerves, and the sweet post-speaking relief that comes afterward. 

The fact that I am terrified by public speaking might come as a surprise to some, especially since my job entails a decent amount of it - sometimes in the form of presentations, sometimes on camera. Every single time I encounter the classic symptoms of stage fright - sweats, shaking hands, fear of making mistakes, desire to run out the front door and never return (just me?). 

So why do I keep doing it? First of all, I’m a firm believer that you should do what makes you scared, because that makes you stronger. Every time I’ve spoken to hundreds of people, it has opened up new opportunities for me. Also, no one else is paying as much attention to the details as you are. So much of our fear around public speaking is tied to things like - is my outfit acceptable? Should I pace while speaking? What if I miss this word? You are likely your own worst critic, for better or worse. 

Speaking to others is one of our greatest opportunities to learn from one another. One of the organizations that has really popularized this is TED. Hosting a TED Talk has become a moment in time that can define someone’s career. I’ve spent many hours thinking about what messages I might share - it’s an incredibly fun and rewarding experience to brainstorm how you might impact one another on a larger scale. 

My question for you is: if you had to host a TED Talk tomorrow, what would you say?