Forge Guide to Public Speaking
The Shy Person’s Guide to Public Speaking
Find small ways to speak in public in your everyday life
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This story is part of How to Get Better at Public Speaking, the Forge guide to talking in front of a crowd.
Staring at the clock, I did the math. If the classmate standing in front of the room would just keep speaking beyond his 10-minute time limit, I wouldn’t have to give my presentation in front of my 11th-grade history class. He was already at the eight-minute mark. Come on, man, I pleaded in my head, my palms sweating. Don’t stop talking.
I watched the seconds hand make another round. Nine minutes. That’s it, buddy. Keep going.
10 minutes. Yes!
11 minutes, 12 minutes. Thank God. I’m free.
I took a deep breath of relief when I suddenly heard the voice of my teacher, Mr. C: “Thompson. You’re up. Let’s squeeze this in.” I froze.
I was an extremely shy kid with a severe speech impediment, and that day, my stutter fired out like a machine gun. The entire class was forced to stay after school because it took me 18 minutes to finish my 10-minute talk. I was mortified.
If you had told me at that moment that I would one day become a communication coach who would be invited to teach presentation skills to politicians and business leaders, I wouldn’t have probably wouldn’t have liked you very much.
People sometimes ask how I overcame my fear of public speaking, wanting to know if there’s a workshop they can sign up for or trick they can use when they’re up on stage, feeling like they might vomit. What I tell them is this: I gained my confidence by carving out ways for myself to speak in public in every area of my life. I took small but manageable steps, in my own way and at my own pace.
I created this guide to help you, fellow shy person, become more comfortable speaking in public. It begins with the lowest-stakes strategies, and builds from there. Let’s dive in — whenever you’re ready.
