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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 21 Oct 2006
Time: 21:09:27 -0500
Remote Name: 71.123.208.188
Hi Ashley - and that's my granddaughter's name so I really like anyone named Ashley! <smile> ..... You said, "I have always had a huge fear of speaking in public, when I see it as a requirement for some classes, I fixate on it and worry about it until it's over!" You do? Really? Golly gee whiz, you must be the ONLY person in the entire world who ever felt that way! Ha, ha, ha! Join the crowd! ..... You asked, "...how did you overcome the fear?" The answer to that is Toastmasters. And from your description of your own anxieties about public speaking, Toastmasters would be PERFECT for you! ..... Fear of public speaking is THE MOST COMMON FEAR in the world! (The SECOND most common fear is DEATH! As Jerry Seinfeld says, "Then it stands to reason that if you're going to give a eulogy at a funeral in front of an audience, you're in worse shape than the guy in the box!" Ha, ha, ha! I've always loved that quote!) But Toastmasters recognizes that oh-so-common fear and there absolutely IS help available. People who stutter don't have a corner on that fear market! Almost everyone I know was scared to death in Toastmasters at first. But if you survive your first few speeches (and the fatality rate is actually pretty low <grin>), you begin to realize WHAT to do and HOW to do it. And the fear really does begin to melt away. I've seen that magic happen in hundreds - maybe thousands - of cases. Public speaking is a learned art, just like baseball and playing the piano. It really does become easy - and most of all FUN! Try it, you'll like it! See http://www.toastmasters.org Click on "Find a Club" on the left and follow your nose. Then go visit a club or two or three in your area. They/we LOVE to have visitors! ..... Ashley, I can't emphasize enough how strongly I believe in Toastmasters. Try it, you'll like it! Believe me, you'll be glad you did. ..... Thanks for reading my paper and for your kind words. ..... I wish you the best, Ashley. ..... Russ, my email is russhicks@mail.com