Public speaking is one of the foundation blocks of leadership!
Excuse Me! Let Me Speak… is the ultimate guide for public speaking success. It builds confidence while
teaching the skills necessary to become a master public speaker.
This book is for parents who want to raise confident leaders. It is for the teacher who wants to enpower
students to communicate effectively. It is for the student who seeks the ability to organize and express
thoughts with clarity and confidence.
It has been found that fear is the number one reason most people don't like to speak in public.
If your child is shy, and fearful, the simple exercises in Excuse Me! Let Me Speak will equip him or her to be a dynamic, charismatic and engaging communicator. No child is too young to develop this leadership skill.
I’m a public speaking warrior
When you were younger, were you afraid of the dark? Do you remember how you overcame that fear?
I overcame mine, by practicing each night to say my prayers and then to sleep in the dark. At first I
slept with my sheets over my head. And before I knew it I was able to sleep in my bed without
feeling scared.
The same is true in public speaking. At first you may get the jitters. Your stomach may feel funny. But
as you practice you will be able to speak in front of people, without feeling funny in your tummy.. In
this chapter you will learn how to be a brave public speaking warrior.
Fear
Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. It is the way, that you naturally respond
(without thinking) to something that you believe is threatening your safety.
Everyone gets scared
Did you know that almost everyone gets scared when they have to speak in front of people? Don’t
believe me? Ask your Mom or Dad if they get scared when they have to speak in front of their peers,
their boss or in a meeting. I bet the answer is yes. Public speaking is the number one fear among people.
You’re not alone. There are some things that you can do to lessen the fear and to build your
confidence. Some of the things you may already know...but you may not know that you know them.
Let’s look at some of those things.
Make a choice
First things first. You have to make a choice. You have to decide that you will no longer give into
your fear of speaking in front of people. It is the same choice you had to make about sleeping in the
dark. Or making a new friend at school. You decided that you would do it—although it was hard, but
you did it any way. That was courage and that’s why you’re a brave warrior.
Imagine yourself doing it
Take time to see yourself speaking in front of a group of your friends or in front of your family.
Picture everything going well and that they enjoy listening to you. Then start to include people that
you don’t know. Picture everything going well.
Practice
Each day imagine yourself giving a speech. Have the people in your imagination clap and cheer you
on. They are all on your side and they want you to do well. You can sit on your bed, on the couch,
in your play house or in your tree house as you imagine.
If you do this on a regular basis, you will start to relax. You will no longer feel that this is something
you can’t do, but it will turn into something that you’re longing to do.
Prepare for an adventure
Get ready for an adventure. Once you have practiced imagining for a while, try speaking in front of
your family. It could be in front of your brother or sister or in front of your Mom and Dad. Ask then to
give you feedback—let them tell you what they honestly think about your speech.
What to say
The good thing about talking to your family is that you can speak about anything. Tell them what the
cat did that was funny. Or how the dog lost his bone. Share with them the best part of your day.
Tell them why you love them. You’re free to choose what you want to talk to them about. Use
descriptive words to make what you say more interesting.
You can use words like lovely, beautiful, breathtaking, or magical. These words will help the listener
to picture what you’re talking about or to feel and experience it.