Microsoft Word who will cry when u die doc

87. 
Take a Public Speaking Course 
As a professional speaker who specializes in leadership, personal effectiveness and life improvement, I have the 
privilege of appearing on programs that feature some of the world’s top experts like Brain Tracy, the renowned 
motivational speaker, Professor John Kotter, the respected business guru, celebrities like actor Christopher 
Reeve and musical superstars like Jewel. I give keynote addresses at about seventy – five major conferences a 
year and speak to large audiences across North America, in the Caribbean and in Asia. Yet very few people 
know that the greatest fear of my life was once public speaking. 
 
While I was in school, I would avoid any opportunity to speak in front of people for fear of failure. If a 
teacher asked me to give an oral report to the class or speak on a certain subject, I would always find some 
excuse not to My fear of public speaking affected my confidence and prevented me from doing many of the 
things I knew in my heart I could do. It was not until I took a public speaking course from the Dale Carnegie 
organization that I began to change. And once I did, a new world unfolded for me. 
 
I have since discovered I was not alone in my fear. It has been reported that most people fear speaking in 
front of an audience even more than death itself. Talking to a large group of people draws us out of the circle of 
security that we tend to live in and forces us to confront an entirely foreign experience. But two things can 
dramatically reduce your fear of public speaking (as well as any other fear for that matter): preparation and 
practice. By taking a public speaking course that will prepare you for speaking before groups and offer you a 
regular forum to practice in front of a group, you will soon manage your fear and eventually master it. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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