So, yesterday I did about 10 minutes in front of the Eureka Rotary. I’m a member. I was part of a presentation about the Redwood Technology Consortium. I am President of the Board! And before I got in to technology, I spent about 20 years in professional and academic theater doing everything from circus to Shakespeare.
When I used to do theater I was extremely confident. I could walk out on stage and make the audience laugh with my entrance. I felt the power of the spotlight. I thought I could do the same with this crowd. I thought I knew the material (RTC and local telecom issues). I had a joke ready. But I blew it.
I said ‘uh’ in front of every sentence. I was uncomfortabale. I was nervous. I felt the audience staring at me waiting for something interesting or funny and I couldn’t deliver. I wanted to get off stage as quickly as possible.
Maybe it wasn’t that bad. But I felt horrible. Where did that guy go who could hold an audience just by looking at them? He’s been buried for 10 years. At least my cat and dog think I’m still fascinating. One reason to have pets I guess.
I feel for you, Bob. Every audience is different, every “performance” is different and even the most polished presenter has a bad day now and again.
This is decidedly different from those with an extreme fear of public speaking. Sitting in an audience and seeing these poor souls suffer is just as hard on the receiver as it is on the giver.
Jerry Seinfeld says in one of his routines that fear of public speaking is far ahead of any other phobia, including fear of death. If someone who feared public speaking had to give a eulogy, they would rather be the honoree than the one giving the honors.
Your only cure is to get back on the horse.
Thanks. What’s odd is I did a talk a couple months ago and it went fine. But that was my own presentation. With this one I was sort of sharing someone else’s slide show. I think I just thought I could wing it and I really needed to prepare better.
I feel for ya Bob. I was a disfunctional speaker the first 50 years of my life. Red face, sweat pouring out of every pore and couldn’t put a sentence together to save my life. I hated it. Something changed a few years ago. No sure if it is confidence or ignorance.