I LOVE talking–that at some point, I can go on and on for hours and finally realize that I have gone around the world just by babbling on current events and even the fanciest tittle-tattles. At an early age and through the help of my mentors, I realized that I possessed this skill when my Grade 4 teacher assigned me to compete in a declamation contest. Although I didn’t win in the said competition, I walked away with the discernment that one of my greatest skills, if not the best, is being born a speaker.
With my mentor’s remark that I’d make a proficient newscaster someday, I was totally convinced that I was made for this vocation. That alone also helped me decide on the course that I pursued in college. Although I am not an active media practitioner at the moment, my public speaking skill was put to very good use when I started teaching English in one of the state universities in the province.
It is undoubtedly an advantage on my part to have this high interest in speaking, especially in front of a group of people or an audience. I highly look forward to any opportunity given to me to speak or present a topic in front of an audience, or most of the time, host a program or an event. If most people would choose to stay behind the curtains, I on the other hand love being in front of the camera as they say. As it goes in Filipino, “makapal ang mukha.” Of course, this is in the good sense of the phrase.
However, some just find it too challenging to stand in front of a crowd. Most people have what is called “stage fright” and certainly despise to be the center of the attention. There are a lot of factors that result to one’s fear to speak publicly, but the most important reason is the lack of self-confidence, which again is an outcome of several other influences. As a former Speech Communication teacher, having very shy and apprehensive students was the biggest challenge.
I remember one semester when I encountered one student who literally pales herself just by the thought of standing in front of her classmates. I told myself that I have to arduously take this task of transforming her at the end of the semester, turning her into a very confident and eloquent speaker. I always told my students that they will not be a good speaker unless they try, even if at the point of making some mistakes while doing so. I prepared a lot of practical activities to expose them and make them used to speaking in front of their classmates. While teaching them the technical requisites in effective public speaking like correct pronunciation, diction, enunciation, stress and intonation, and the important aspects in speech delivery like voice, eye contact, and posture, I also tried my best in inculcating to them the important values that are also necessary in becoming a good and effective public speaker. It is being confident of themselves and knowing that everything is possible if they believe in their skills and abilities.
When the semester was about to end, I almost cried when my very timid student boldly presented in front of her classmates, showing a totally transformed, confident individual. She even sent a text message to me after she got her grade, thanking me for believing and never giving up on her. For many years of teaching and encountering thousands of young individuals, it was only then I finally ascertained my invaluable role and influence with the use of my public speaking abilities.
Speaking is not a talent which we acquire as we are born out of this world, but it is a skill that can be learned, developed, and improved. It is therefore proven and true that speakers are not born, they can be made. If I can always encourage young minds to be effective public speakers, then I wouldn’t mind talking and talking and talking.