When it comes to having to speak in public, the first reaction for the vast majority of people is for their hands to sweat, their stomachs to churn and their legs to tremble.
You begin the process of acquiring renewed self-awareness together with the author, as he tells of his first, horrible experience of public speaking as an early teen at high school. He was so frightened by it that he had a psychosomatic reaction which kept him home from school the following day, after all his classmates had done nothing but make fun of him the whole time he was presenting in front of them.
In this book, Mike Acker outlines a path divided into seven strategies that involve a theoretical/psychological approach on the one hand, and a practical/experiential approach on the other, thereby helping us to overcome a fear of speaking in public, which often - thanks to previous negative, first-hand experiences - is inherent to us all. The aim is to acquire a new perspective, so that we don’t hold onto this fear forever.
The first thing we need to do is relinquish any doubts we have about being able to let go of our fear. Doubts destroy our self-confidence and, on our journey to becoming passionate speakers, there is no room for them. You must start believing in yourself without any “ifs” or “buts”.
The number one fear of all Americans in the rankings of things they are afraid of is speaking in public: if you are more afraid of speaking in public than you are of death, you know you have a serious problem.
We must not allow past failures to forever leave a mark on our daily existence. Our past mistakes simply must not prevent us from overcoming our anxieties and properly channelling our nerves.
It isn’t easy, but you must take the first step, even if it feels like a leap of faith: courage will help you improve once you get started.
The author would have liked to have started his own journey much earlier in his life, so he encourages his readers not to waste another minute, and start working to become better versions of themselves, letting go of that fear of speaking in public which is trapped inside.
With a change of perspective, some preparation and lots of practice, even the fear of speaking in public can be overcome.
