HOW TO DEAL WITH PUBLIC SPEAKING EMBARRASSING MOMENTS


HOW TO DEAL WITH PUBLIC SPEAKING EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
You can't hide forever...


I had many embarrassing moments in my life.


I am not sure where to begin.


I bet that you will laugh at me if I tell you my stories.


But since this is a public speaking blog, I should just concentrate on the subject of how to deal with embarrassing public speaking moments.  


Yes, I have been through this too. Not once but a few times. 

Among all those embarrassing public speaking moments, there was one incident which made a big impact in my life.

I still remember that day. I forgot my speech during a speech contest in front of so many people. It was so obvious that there was an awkward silence in the hall. Despite of my sudden ‘loss of memories’, I continued my speech until the end. When I came down from the stage, my friend came up to me and gave a pat on my back.

“It’s OK. It wasn’t that bad”, she whispered. When I looked into her eyes, I knew she was feeling sorry for me.

At that moment, I felt like hiding under the table. I felt horrible. I spent days trying to get over it. I felt so disappointed with myself. I felt as if I have failed everyone.

Then one day, a good friend asked me out for a drink. I told her what happened. She laughed and said, “Hey, you are not the only one”. She started telling me of her own embarrassing stories and we talked about it. Somehow it made me feel better. I started realizing that everyone experienced embarrassment and it is up to us to choose the positive way to deal with it.

So, I am sharing this with you…

How to deal with embarrassing public speaking moments?

1)Accept the fact that sometimes things happen unexpectedly.

Life is full of surprises. The same goes to giving a speech or doing a presentation. Sometimes things might go wrong like falling on the stage, forgetting your script, losing your file or your PowerPoint goes wrong.

When these things happen…

Remember to stay calm and think positive.

Bear in mind that it is not the end of the world.

Laugh at yourself.

Do not be too hard on yourself.

Accept the fact that it happened.

Give yourself time to process your feelings.

2)Talk About It

When you had an embarrassing moment, you will definitely be upset. You will feel ashamed and angry at yourself. Your mind will start doubting your abilities and negative thoughts starts coming into your head.

Before things get any worse, find someone you can trust (who is an optimistic, understanding and wise person!) and pour your heart out. Talk about it. Talk about how you feel. Do not keep it to yourself. By telling this to someone who is supportive, it will be easier for you to stay positive even when it seems difficult. This will make you feel much better.

3)Treat the incident as a valuable lesson

There is always a blessing in disguise. Embarrassing moments can be a good thing. The experience teaches us to be careful next time thus avoid it from happening again. Remind yourself that it is alright to make mistakes. You are only human.

It encourages you to train your mind in handling embarrassing moments in the future. You will be ready for any situations and makes you a perceptive, rational and sensible person.

For example, if you fell on the stage because you were not comfortable in high heels, maybe you should consider wearing wedges.

If you forgot your script while giving a speech, maybe you should consider preparing some short notes just in case.

If you had embarrassing moments because you could not find your Power Point slides anywhere, then maybe you should consider having a back up plan just in case.

My Conclusions are…

A) Things usually look a lot worse than they really are

B) Life experience (good or bad) teaches us powerful lessons.

C)People do not always remember what happened to you.

A Quote…

“Embarrassment has a lot to do with thinking too much. Let it go. Nobody cares as much as you think they do”

-Ryan Robbins-

So, take it easy. Do not be too hard on yourself. Do not stop doing what you love just because you had some embarrassing moments. You will better at what you do as you keep going. One day, you will look back and remember those moments that teaches you to be stronger and you will end up smiling thinking about it…

Trust me. I know.
Written by: Intan Salwana Anis
@2019 Public Speaking Is Cool. All Rights Reserved.

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