I never believed the notion that people fear public speaking more than death. Given the choice, speak or die, I think most people would speak and you wouldn’t be able to shut them up. A career that involves a lot of public speaking has taught me that speaking is almost always preferable to dying.
 
But I do think the fear of public speaking stands between many people and their dreams. I’ve taught a class on public speaking to a variety of groups over the years. I call the class Public Speaking for Chickens: The Class for People Who Have Something to Crow About but Are Too Afraid to Do It. In it, I discuss things speakers can do before and during a presentation to make themselves more comfortable and their talk more effective. You can see an abbreviated version on my website www.dorothyrosby.com or click the video image thumbnail below.

In future Networker columns, I’ll be sharing a few of the tips I discuss in the class. In the meantime, if a fear of public speaking is holding you back, I encourage you to look for opportunities to speak and when they arise, take them. You’ll grow as a communicator, and other parts of your life may fall into place too. I know that because it worked for me.

After college, I was living in a small town in Iowa working as a radio announcer six evenings a week. That meant I had no social life. Then an acquaintance invited me to attend a Toastmasters meeting. Toastmasters is an international organization with local clubs around the world. Members practice their public speaking and leadership skills at meetings week after week. That’s the kind of practice that helps you get better at anything. But I didn’t care about that at the time. The club’s meetings fit my schedule and I thought it would be a fun way to meet people. Turns out it was, and the kind of people I like to meet: Motivated people from all walks of life who want to improve themselves and their community.

But Toastmasters also put me on a path. Being able to put public speaking experience on my resume helped me land the public relations job I had at Black Hills Works for 31 years. And doing humorous speeches in Toastmasters eventually led to my humor column. Learning to speak to groups put me on a path I might not be on otherwise.

Whatever your goals are, I can guarantee that working to improve your public speaking skills will help you get there. You gain confidence, meet people and learn to sell your ideas. Below is a list of local Toastmaster clubs. I’d encourage you to check them out. Any one of them would welcome you.

Top 5 Toastmasters
Black Hills Works
3650 Range Road, Rapid City
(605) 343-6287
Meets noon Mondays

Mount Rushmore Club
Rapid City Public Library
610 Quincy Street, Rapid City
605-255-5507
Meet 5:30 pm, 1st & 3rd Wednesdays

Skyline Club
Canyon Lake United Methodist Church
3500 Canyon Lake Drive
605-393-6077
Meets 7 am, Saturdays

(Dorothy Rosby is a speaker, author and syndicated humor columnist.)

Dorothy Rosby
Author of Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Worry About, coming soon
www.dorothyrosby.com

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I Used to Think I Was Not That Bad and Then I Got to Know Me Better