How to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Public speaking is something we all fear, but guess what?

• You may discover something about yourself you never knew.

For me, this happened the other evening at a local Orange County library.

Just like anything else in life, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. It's the anticipation that causes anxiety, but once you get going, things seem to flow.

So what changed within me the other evening at the library?

No one showed up.

Yes, you heard me. No one except the librarian, a nice guy named Chris, and his assistant.

Chris said, "We'd like to hear your story, so why don't you start."

As soon as I started my power point presentation, three people joined us. I connected with this small group and realized, I am having a wonderful time motivating others to take risks in life, and follow their passions. I am helping people realize that we can always find excuses to not pursue our dreams, and so we postpone them.

I realized that I have a powerful story and message to share, and while looking at my small audience, these people were entertained and totally focused on what I had to say. I felt a rush of adrenaline, and came to the realization that:

Motivating others to stop postponing their dreams causes a reaction I never expected:

• While motivating others, I discovered that I also motivate myself to keep going.

It all started in 9th grade when fellow classmates made fun of me during my first speech. I have made it my mission to be "gutsy" and overcome this fear.

Here are some tips that work for me.

• Don't let pretentious people make you feel inferior.
• Be yourself
• Connect
• Talk about something you love
• Smile
• Don't act pretentious or superior towards others
• Make fun of yourself.
• Relax
• Have a message to share

It feels so good when you can make a difference and motivate one person to follow their dream.

I've included a video of a presentation I made at Malibu Bank of Books indie bookstore on 2-9-13

So I plan to make it my goal to be just like Oprah, who wrote in the April 2013 "O" Magazine:

"When it comes to matters of the heart, emotion, connection, and speaking in front of large audiences, I thrive."

What about you? Do you enjoy public speaking?

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Sonia Marsh is a “Gutsy” woman who can pack her carry-on and move to another country in one day. She is the founder of the "My Gutsy Story" series, a popular contest on her blog.

She says everyone has a “My Gutsy Story®”; some just need a little help to uncover theirs. Her story, told in her travel memoir Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island, is about chucking it all and uprooting her family—with teenagers—to reconnect on an island in Belize.

Her memoir received an honorary mention in the biography/autobiography category at the 2013 London Book Festival, the 2013 Los Angeles Book Festival and the 2013 Great South West Book Festival.

Sonia has lived in many countries – Denmark, Nigeria, France, England, the U.S. and Belize – Sonia Marsh considers herself a citizen of the world. She holds a degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, U.K., and now lives in Southern California with her husband, Duke.

Sonia welcomes new friends, bloggers, writers and readers at Soniamarsh.com (http://soniamarsh.com) Contact her at: sonia@soniamarsh.com www.facebook.com/GutsyLiving or Twitter.com@GutsyLiving