Let me take you through my recent experience of participating in a speaking contest for the very first time. It was a journey full of apprehension, discovery, and personal growth.
One day, our club announced that a speaking competition would take place on September 5. My immediate reaction was a firm, “No way. This is the scariest thing ever.” The mere thought of speaking in front of an audience filled me with dread.
As days passed, more and more club members signed up to participate. Meanwhile, I remained resolute in my decision: I WOULD NOT join the speaking competition.
The idea of freezing on stage and forgetting my lines haunted me. It felt like an insurmountable challenge.
Then, I had a conversation with my mentor about the contest. He asked, “Lin, are you participating in the speaking competition?”
I responded with a resolute “No.” I felt that public speaking wasn’t my forte, and with my busy schedule, I didn’t have the time to prepare a 5-minute speech.
To my surprise, he suggested, “You could try the table topic session. No preparation needed, just talk for two minutes.”
His suggestion only added to my stress. I felt unprepared and overwhelmed at the thought of speaking on an unprepared topic.
The day before the contest registration closed, my mentor followed up again. This time, his encouragement made me reconsider. I thought to myself, “Maybe it’s not as bad as I imagine.” Plus, I had been practicing public speaking at the club.
So, I decided to take part in the table topic session. My mentor was pleased with my decision.
From the moment I committed to participating, my stress levels soared until the competition day.
September 5 arrived, and I woke up feeling utterly miserable. It felt as if I was facing a personal apocalypse. The 14 hours from 5 AM to 7 PM seemed like an eternity.
The contest venue was at a university, in a building called KB. At 6 PM, I drove to the university, a 15-minute drive from my house. Traffic was heavy, especially from the Grand Saga exit to the university.
When I arrived, I parked at the building, across from KB. I walked into KB and took the lift to the first floor.
As I entered the contest hall, I saw many familiar faces from the club and some guests. The adrenaline was overwhelming, but I was fortunate to have supportive club members around me. Their encouragement helped me feel more at ease.
The event began with a humorous speech session, followed by the table topic session.
I was the sixth candidate. When the contest master presented me with the table topic question, I was taken aback. “What? How do I answer this?” The question was unexpected, and I hadn’t practiced for it.
In that moment of panic, a tip about dealing with public speaking fears came to mind: “Admit your feelings.”
So, I stood there and, with a loud voice, confessed my fear of public speaking. I admitted that speaking in front of strangers in an unfamiliar room was terrifying!
As I spoke, it felt as though a tight rope around me was loosening and dropping away. Admitting my fear made me feel liberated, almost like I was being reborn.
I reflected on my journey and saw how much I had grown. Despite my fear of public speaking, I faced the challenge and participated in the contest.
What I learned from this experience is that embracing such challenges can lead to personal breakthroughs. As the saying goes, “No pressure, no diamonds.” A diamond remains unbroken once it is formed.
So, I encourage all of you to take on the challenge on try something new in live. It’s a powerful way to grow and discover your true potential.
