By Gv. Methni Prabhashwari
As an introvert, public speaking is not my cup of tea. The thought of getting in front of people and having to speak on a topic is uneasy for me. I am definitely not the type of person who enjoys being the center of attention and having all eyes on me. Having to give a speech has always been something I have dreaded doing and it has not always been my strong suit. So I never wanted to join the Gavel Club firsthand. Joining myself to the Gavel Club is a coincidence all thankful to Scrabble, Gv. Ameesha and Gv.Hansani.This is my story about overcoming my fear of public speaking.
Once in a group call on Scrabble Gv. Ameesha just asked me whether I’m in the Gavel club. I said no, but it was a slip of the tongue saying that I want to join the Gavel club. Then I got the contact number of Gv. Hansani and was advised to just drop a message to her saying that I would like to join the gavel club. The next morning I was lost in thought about whether I should join the Gavel Club or not when I witnessed my life changing Instagram post. It was a saying by Fred Miller,
“The worst speech you” ll ever give will be far better than the one you never give’’
So I thought I had to start somewhere and build from there. Instead of fighting that fear, I have to work with it. If I put it off because I want it to be perfect, then I’ ’ll be stuck forever and Gavel Club was a golden opportunity to start my journey.
Finally, it was Saturday 3.55 pm and I was still in doubt whether I was ready to join my first educational meeting or not. Then I said to myself “Fool, There’s nothing to think, just join”.So I joined my first educational meeting and to my relief, there were some of my batchmates as well.
Soon the round robin session started and the topic was “My celebrity crush”. It was a novel experience for me. As the round robin session proceeded I was like a cat on hot bricks and I was about to leave the meeting but that was not my day. Suddenly my name was called out and my heart was in my mouth when I realized, that was my chance to speak. I took a deep breath and turned on the microphone. Somehow I managed to utter a few words about my celebrity crush, and to my relief the outcome was not that bad.
I was satisfied by my first hit and I was so inspired by the speeches done by senior gavelliors when the table topic session started. So I thought this is the perfect time for my second hit, then I did my speech.
I felt like a dog with two tails when I heard the comments and evaluations from senior gavelliors. They said that my speech was heartfelt. That was the best comment I ever heard regarding speech because I always believe what Maya Angelou said,
“I’ ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
As a literature lover, I was so fond of talking to people’s hearts and I was glad about my first step toward my dream. Now I so proudly say that once I decided to join the Gavel Club my confidence in public speaking evolved tremendously, especially watching how senior gavelliors speak helped me to blossom.
In conclusion, public speaking may not be something I enjoy doing but thanks to the Gavel Club, I’m not as nervous or intimidated. I am able to speak more confidently now than ever thanks to the Gavel Club. What I want now is to give a speech that is worth listening to.
All I experienced so far is that It doesn’t matter if you think you’ve failed in the past. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re past your prime. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re not confident enough, or that you’re just not a “natural”. Everything is learnable, Anytime .
Gavel Club is the best place to start.
This is my story about how I cured my phobia of public speaking to some extent. Actually this made me laugh at how much I struggle just to speak a few words. Now my Saturday evening is not boring thanks to the Gavel family. Every week I eagerly wait for Saturday evening.
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