Public Speaking: One Of My Biggest Loves & Fears

I received this prompt from Mama Katt's Writer's Workshop.

I absolutely love speaking to individuals & groups about my passion for charity, & even crafts. However, my massive fear of public speaking coupled with my OCD has made it a huge challenge. Whether I'm speaking to a group of children about charity work or a celebrity about The IndiExhibit, my stomach does flips every time. The most terrifying, & rewarding, speech was for the Long Beach Giving Project.

I received an email that I was chosen as a semi-finalist, which brought a huge sense of accomplishment & elation. Then I realized I works have to give a 2 minute speech. Which brought a huge wave of nausea.

My submitted idea was two parts: first, to donate baby clothes to the Food Pantry & Clothes Closet at my church, Lakewood First United Methodist; & second, to make & donate fleece blankets to Miller Children's Hospital as part of Layers Of Love.

I wrote my speech. Then rewrote it four more times. And then I wrote an outline.

Then big night came, & my mom & oldest son Michael accompanied me. I take Michael with me to every charity event I can. He is starting to become more interested in volunteerism, & I want to foster that sense of giving as much as possible. I could barely enjoy the dinner, I was so nervous! I spent all evening reading my speech over & over.

When my name was called, I honestly thought I was going to faint. I walked onto the stage on autopilot. When I got up there, my speech went out the window. I covered all the points in my outline, but my heart took over. My passion for charity shined that night.

All semifinalists were called onstage. When my name was called, I nearly fell over once again. Justin Rudd, the amazing coordinator, had collected four large bags of clothes for the Clothes Closet! In addition, ALL of the semifinalists received a $200 minigrant for their charities.

I was beyond scared. I was convinced I couldn't get up there & do my speech. I was petrified that I would mess up my speech. However, once I was up there, my heart just took over. My passion, my soul, my heart just shown through. I believed in my idea, & I believed in my charity work. And that's the key. Believing in you, & your topic. If you do that, your words will shine. And so will you.