Plato's observation holds true even today: Those who tell stories rule the world
Last week, I was at TEDx Gateway, one of the largest talk events of this global movement created by Chris Anderson. While each one of the 20 odd speakers was brilliant, I could sense a deep desire among several in the audience to be on stage. Each of them, like all of us, had their own gripping stories to tell.
And so they wished they could—if only they had the courage to get up on stage and take the microphone. Glossophobia, as the dread of public speaking is known, is one of the most prevalent challenges for leaders. Several studies have shown that public-speaking anxiety is the No.
1 fear for most people, even ahead of death! This prompted Jerry Seinfeld to comically remark that most people at a funeral would rather be the person inside the coffin than the one delivering the eulogy. And like most fears that challenge us, we often choose to seek refuge in the myth that public speaking is an inborn gift. And here is the irony of it.
All of us, regardless of our education, exposure, age or experience, have the inborn gift of public speaking. Observe any kindergarten group and you will see that every child is a born orator. Tragically, this innate skill gets crippled by our social and educational conditioning as we grow older.
Having studied the journey of countless enthralling speakers’ (and also travelling some of that path), I know that the fear of public speaking is essentially traceable to two ancient wirings in our brain. The first is the fear of standing alone, or of being apart from the crowd. Primordially, isolation meant danger.
Read more on livemint.com
