Public Speaking
Hello Gardeners!
About a week ago, we released our sixth episode of Season 2 of #HelloGardeners! The gardeners got to participate in the sweetest episode yet! If you haven't already watched it, head over to our YouTube page to catch up. In this episode we received a weed from Gardener Max in Connecticut who said,
Public speaking can be nerve-wracking for gardeners of all ages and can cause weeds of anxiety and fear to pop up. We start to think of the what ifs - "what if everybody laughs at me?", "what if I can't remember my lines?" - and our confidence plummets and we prepare ourselves for failure. What successful public speaking really comes down to is practice and confidence.
Put in the time to practice - like #GardenerAnna suggested, practice in front of your stuffed animals and your family members. Set small goals for yourself - for example, if you are trying to remember lines for a play, start early and set goals to memorize 1 page per day. If it's more like a presentation, ask your teacher for some extra help, they will appreciate that you are taking initiative to practice and improve.
Although it may sound a little silly, take a minute to remind yourself of the realities of the situation. It's usually minutes before it's your turn to speak when the fear and nerves catch up with us. Take 3 deep breaths - in through the nose, out through the mouth, and remind yourself that there is no immediate threat to your well being. You are just a person, standing in a classroom, talking about a book or your science project. Put your situation in perspective. Often times when you say out loud what is really happening, you realize how small the act really is.