‘Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Have you ever felt like you’re drifting through life without a clear direction? I have. I had major gaps in my life in terms of selecting which field for myself and again and again drifting my thoughts between my choices and my parents. I have understood one thing for sure now whatever you do, do it with your heart, and don’t backstep. Setting goals be it short term or long term and achieving them provides the purpose and motivation we need to make our dreams a reality. My goal is to be financially independent & work in the marketing sector, working on improving skills and hobbies I’m passionate about. Majorly what I look forward to as a main goal is public speaking. so finally I took a step forward, came out of my comfort zone, and chose PGDM as a step towards my dream where could learn all the skills and be a better version of myself. Here my competition is with myself. In the quaint simplicity of my hometown and the ones I have grown up with, where the English language is not used as a major source of communication my parents made me study in Sophia school which is a convent school where they majorly pay attention to English speaking where I learned to speak in English well. but what I now realize is that only knowing how to speak in English does not make you a good speaker. there are some points because of which I always move away from public speaking : Lack of confidence, Fear of receiving critical or negative feedback. Fear of questions: questions can be addressed by preparing answers for anticipated questions and being open to spontaneous ones. Feeling nervous or anxious while speaking, which sometimes be physically uncomfortable. Fear of being judged: worrying that the audience might criticize my appearance, voice, or delivery style. Fear of failure: worrying about making mistakes or forgetting what to say in front of an audience. Fear of inadequacy: I feel my knowledge or expertise on the topic could be insufficient. And lastly, fear of public speaking itself: generalized fear of speaking in front of a group, regardless of the topic. I was being rigid to my nature. Spending time alone and not doing anything being confused about making the right and quick decisions made me rely on my comfort zone which became a major gap between my goal and myself. To overcome these gaps, To-do-List So firstly, one needs to set clear goals, like aiming to reduce nervousness, speak more confidently, and enhance storytelling abilities. Need to identify weaknesses where I could pinpoint areas where that need improvement. This could include vocal clarity, body language, or audience engagement. Practice speaking regularly, even if it’s in front of a mirror or recording yourself. The more I’ll practice the more I’ll become confident. Seeking feedback from peers, mentors, and colleagues on my speeches. Using feedback to make targeted improvements. Master in nonverbal communication which focus on body language, gestures, and facial expression to complement my words and convey them. Managing nervousness by learning techniques to manage pre-speech nerves, such as deep breathing, visualization, or mindfulness exercises. Working on expanding vocabulary to articulate ideas more clearly. Keeping a journal or record of my progress in a document to track improvements and areas where I need further work. Reading newspapers enhances knowledge and vocabulary as well. Increasing complexity and diversity of speaking opportunities. Remembering that improving public speaking skills is an ongoing process that needs consistency and perseverance are key to becoming a more confident and effective speaker. So involving these in part of day-to-day routine already has started: Increasing confidence as practicing improves us in becoming more confident in our ability to speak in public. This newfound confidence can also extended to other areas of our life as well. Reduced nervousness over time I learned techniques to manage nervousness and stage fright, making speaking in public less intimidating. Improvement in personal growth as public speaking is a powerful tool for personal growth. It challenges me to overcome fears and develop new skills. Increase in ongoing learning as it provides a lifelong journey of learning and self-improvement. Overall I could conclude it is a fulfilling and empowering experience. It Has a positive impact not only on our ability to speak in public but also on our personal and professional development. Results, There is always a scope for improvement, I can’t say I am fully out of my comfort zone and confident enough about how I should be but yes it not only helped me excel but boosted my confidence in everyday interactions with everyone. Now what I can say is sometimes we need to face our fear and should come out of our comfort zone to make things better for our lives and achieve our dreams in a better way. The result will always be positive if we work on our negative points and work hard to correct them. So in conclusion, be yourself know yourself, and work on betterment of yourself.
Jaipuria Talks Blog 