Overcome the Fear of Speaking in Public

In Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks, we can read about Demosthenes, the great orator of Athens in the 4th century, B.C. Talk about an unlikely character for public speaking. Demosthenes was not only not a born speaker, he was weak as a child, had a sickly appearance and an annoying bizarre way of speaking. As kids do, they ridiculed him and called him names. In spite of the opposition, he became a lawyer arguing his cases in the same annoying voice, was void of organization and long-winded. Again, he was mocked and completely ineffective. But, Demosthenes refused to give up. Instead he made a decision to succeed. For months he isolated himself vowing to learn to speak . He created his own program for speech improvement. In order to enunciate correctly, he practiced speaking with pebbles in his mouth. To obtain his public speaking voice, he practiced projecting his voice above the Aegean Sea. To build more stamina and get power in his voice, he practiced speaking while running up and down hills. Over time, he got better. But he didn't stop there. He wanted to be able to respond well when asked impromptu questions in the Senate. He taught himself to speak more spontaneously and sound more natural. Demonsthenes became one of the most popular orators in Athens, most often chosen to deliver important public addresses. Today, Demonsthenes is looked at as one of the most memorable speakers the world has ever seen. You too can reach your goals. It is just a decision away.