I took a public speaking class in college, where we tried all kind of speeches: occasional speeches, debates, educational lectures. Having done a lot of theater as a kid, the class wasn’t that scary.
Until the extemporaneous speech.
We pulled a topic out of a bag, had one minute to plan, and then gave a five-minute speech on the spot.
I still remember the feeling of hot fire ants crawling up my neck as I stood outside the room to plan, and the cold sweat that started when the timer ushered me inside to start speaking.
More accurately, to start rambling.
It was painful—literally. I felt my face flush, my stomach clench. My thoughts all disappeared like fog. The timer buzzed when I was meandering past a mid-point in my story. I sat down, my heart pounding, horribly humiliated.
Afterwards, my professor said, “Well, now you know to practice ahead of time.”
And that, my friends, is pretty much true of everything for me.
Doing something without practicing makes me feel all shades of awful.
This is fine when it comes to speeches—but for life it’s a tad unrealistic…
I’m at SheLoves Magazine today, talking about taking on life without a practice round. Won’t you join me there?
