I overcame the fear of public speaking by force by fire

While I was growing up, I would say I was timid to the extent that my teachers then would give me a compulsory assignment that I would have to present on the assembly ground but the timid spirit in me would refuse. The only thing I was very good at was representing my school in written quiz competitions or any other examination. Why? I was an extreme introvert, always in my comfort zone.

The time I had to face my fears

But, there was a time in my life when I had to face one of my greatest fears and that's the fear of public speaking. Oh God! I hate crowds, I hate to speak in public because I believe people would not hear me out or I wouldn't make any sense. However, as I grew older, I realized that this fear was holding me back in numerous aspects of my life. I knew that if I wanted to progress both personally and professionally, I had to overcome the fear habit in me. I reminded myself that courage isn't the absence of fear but rather, the ability to act in the face of it.

Source

One day, when I was in SS3 to become a school prefect, I saw how teachers were nominating me for the post of a senior girl, almost all the teachers but the clause concluded that she was very good academically but she could not face the crowd And eventually, I was given the Assistant Senior girl🤔. This made me cry and I made up my mind to shun every spirit of fear in me at that stage of my life. Something must be done to fight that battle because it was a battle

How did it go?

I continued and it became a point of concern that I had to be constantly praying about, not that I wouldn't know what to say but I wouldn't give it a try because I had already believed I couldn't do it. I will see my mates acting drama, facing the crowd, doing public speaking but I will remain in my shell like a snail. For this reason, I hate anything oral interview🧐

Then, in school, I needed to go for my teaching practice while I was at the 300 level. I started thinking about how I was going to face my students' teaching and how examiners would come around to inspect me🙆 but I did it excellently well, that was the comment the examiners gave me(they said I'm a born teacher) 😲😲 I conquered the first stage of my fear💃💃 If you call me to lead any team in church, I will reject it but I summoned to lead one day and I did it well too👏👏

During my interview for a teaching job that required me to stand in the presence of many Directors to present ideas and to convince them of how capable I am of the job offer🤔 The thought of standing in front of a group of directors, all eyes on me, noting my mistakes and grammar errors made my heart beat increased. But I decided to tell you that fear, your end comes today and with a determined mindset, I delivered like never before. The first three minutes were hectic because I repeated my name twice and said something many times. **Then I boldly declared in my mind fear get thee behind me like how Jesus said to Satan get thee behind me🤣 ** My confidence came back with full 100% and I did a good job, passed with good comments from the directors. I came out as number 2 who passed very well👏👏👏

The aftermath with regards to the fear in me.

As time passed of being a teacher, I became more comfortable speaking in front of others, leading prayers in church, taking some leadership roles, engaging in small group discussions, and volunteering for presentations at work so that I could be geared up to overcome my fears. I realized that the more I exposed myself to my fear, the more I understood that it wasn't as difficult as I had believed. Conquering my fear has changed my life totally, I can now do things I couldn't do before, to the point I can even mentor people who are struggling with public speaking.

Myself doing what I couldn't do before😉

I now experience total confidence, not just in public speaking, but in all aspects of my life. The fear that had once eaten my confidence, my ability, and the potential that I had in me has finally lost its grip on me. Even though, I still feel the traces of fear sometimes but not as it was before now. I've learned to be the real me because No ONE ELSE CAN DO IT BETTER THAN ME👌

The defining moment in my life

As a teacher teaching multitudes with continuous practice in overcoming the challenge of public speaking has been a defining moment in my life. A teaching job required me to put up a courageous act and step out of my comfort zone to do things I couldn't do. As they say, Practice makes perfection I overcame this fear and unlocked the potential in me. I can now share ideas, speak in public places, and connect with others confidently without any iota of fear.