Criticism

An important part of public speaking, and life in general, is accepting criticism in a constructive way. Feedback is an important tool that helps us get better at developing our skills, however it is important that we do not let what people will think of us get in the way of our speaking. Many people tend to struggle with worrying about what others will think of them if they say or do something a certain way. It is this same worry that immobilizes us in our growth and it is imperative that we conquer this fear or else it will be near impossible to become a confident speaker.

This theory is similar to that of Gary Vaynerchuk, the author of the blog Three pieces of advice to build confidence for public speaking. Vaynerchuk claims that “The single biggest reason people are concerned about public speaking is because they worry what other people think of them. The quicker you start learning how to fix that issue and be comfortable with yourself, you become a much better public speaker. Heck, you’ll become a much better and happier human being” (Vaynerchuk,2015). In other words, the author is making the point that most fear of public speaking comes from being worried about your audience judging you. A major part of becoming a better speaker, is to try to get past what others may think and be confident in yourself.

In conclusion, if you let the opinions of your audience intimidate you, you will not be a confident speaker. Do not get wrapped up in the audience’s opinions of you, because at the end of the day it will not matter if they think you are cool or lame. However, it is important to not just ignore the feedback and opinions of your audience, instead you should take them into consideration and use them to better your speaking skills.

References

Vaynerchuk, G. (2016). Three pieces of advice to build confidence for public speaking. Gary Vaynerchuk. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@garyvee/three-pieces-of-advice-to-build-confidence-for-public-speaking-e4dba7fb975c