Oh god. Why are they making me do this? My knees are knocking. My palms are sweating. Oh no are my armpits sweating too? Great. Now I have to go change my shirt. What if I freeze up? What if I stutter? What if I trip walking on stage? Great, now that’s going to happen! What if I say something that wasn’t meant to be funny and people laugh. WHAT IF THEY THINK I’M A JOKE?

We all are familiar with these fears, and we all know what’s about to happen next…

You’re about to speak in front of people.

Whether it’d be a small group of people or a large auditorium, you’re going to get nervous. It’s natural. It’s how you handle it that will make or break you.

We all fear judgment by others, and we all want to be accepted. Most of us just wish to fly under the radar and not draw attention to ourselves. Well, I’m about to challenge that.

Why shouldn’t you like public speaking?

You're the most important person in the room when you speak.

You can look at that and think “WELL YAH THAT’S WHY I’M FREAKING OUT!!!!” or you can think, “I love being the center of attention. THIS IS MY CHANCE!” I tend to lean towards the latter. Everyone is listening to what I have to say. I love talking, and I love it when people listen to me. Why shouldn’t I love public speaking?

You can show off your smarts.

As my dad says, “you are the most informed person on your topic when you give a presentation.” It’s true! You’ve done the research and preparation. You know more about the topic than everyone in the room. Why should you be nervous? You know your stuff!

You can persuade people to agree with you.

The one thing that bothers me about debates is you almost never succeed in persuading the other person to side with you, especially when they are adamant on their position. For speeches, it’s one-sided – it’s just you. People consider your side and all the arguments you present, and you make some SOLID arguments.

It is crucial once you graduate.

It doesn’t matter what your occupation is once you graduate. You will DEFINITELY be needing skills in public speaking, because there will be many situations where you will speak in front of strangers and coworkers. What better way to get better at public speaking than learning to love it? It then becomes second nature.

It gives you an opportunity to meet others and learn new perspectives.

Once you complete your very successful presentation or pitch, people are going to want to talk to you. They’ll want to discuss various views and facts about your topic and maybe even ask you questions. This allows you to make new connections and learn new perspectives.