Are Your Public Speaking Skills Holding You Back?

Social anxiety, and the dread of public speaking, hold back many bright and brilliant would-be-entrepreneurs. They avoid social gatherings like the plague, or dodge conversations when they do attend. They keep putting off sharing their ideas beyond a small circle of family members and close friends.

I remember my first presentation at university. It wasn’t even a presentation. I just wanted to share some of my ideas to five friends. I began shaking uncontrollably as soon as I began speaking, and my words fell incoherently out of my mouth. A friend of mine reminded me that they’re all my friends, and I didn’t have to panic the way I did. He kept nodding with every point I said to help me feel more at ease.

The experience was embarrassing, but it revealed what a terrible speaker I was. I cared about my ideas, and I didn’t want them to linger in my head simply because I was too afraid to voice them. That’s why I asked my friends to tolerate my lousy speaking skills a few more times, and they were gracious enough to accept and gave me pointers on how I can improve my talks.

That was in London. When I returned to Kuwait I joined a Toastmasters club to continue to develop my public speaking (and, more broadly, communication) skills. 

As an entrepreneur, you want to be comfortable leading teams, speaking to customers, and persuading potential investors. You want to be able to communicate clearly and passionately. To be able to do that you need lots of practice, while being surrounded by supportive individuals who will encourage you to continuously grow in experience and expertise.

If you’re looking to improve your public speaking skills, then you’re in luck, because Sirdab Lab will soon be kicking off the Perfect Pitch club, to help entrepreneurs overcome their social anxiety and stage fright, and to be able to pitch their ideas with confidence and grace.