This is the first post in a two-part series on public speaking. Read the second post here.

Ever since I was a little girl (about 6 years old), I have had a nerve-wrecking fear of speaking in front of others. The fear that it instilled in me was so great that even the fear of death became second in my mind…

As usual, my first experience in public speaking came along in school where we had to read in front of the entire class. How I dreaded every class in elementary school! When my turn came around, my mouth went dry and my forehead got all sweaty. I couldn’t do it!

This fear somehow created within me the habit of speaking softly. I was so afraid of saying something stupid or laughable that I tried to conceal my thoughts as best as I could using this method. How terrifying it was whenever the teacher said, “Speak up!”

I still get chills when I think back to these episodes.

But as terrified as I might have seemed out in the open, as lively and enthusiastic I was inside of myself. I danced on stage, and I was the most popular girl in school – but all in my room. Whenever I got into contact with someone else, the lively girl disappeared and out came the shy, timid Anita that everybody got to know.

Leading at 28 years of age

Things weren’t getting much easier when, at the timid age of 28, I became head and part-owner of now Intek Engineering AS, a family business specializing in automation and robotics. Here I had to set an example for employees and lead them on the path to success, but I was still as afraid of public speaking as always.

So I decided to challenge myself. I was sick of being afraid, so I decided to plunge head-on into the deep end. Sooner or later, I had to learn. And so I decided to be the speaker that would present my company at a seminar in Poland.

I mustered every bit of courage and marched up the stage, confident in every way. But when I got the microphone in my hand, it all came crashing down again.

I managed to mumble my name before forgetting everything else I had to say.

All went black!

Educating myself

So when presented with the opportunity to speak at an industry conference a few months ago, I knew I had to gain more experience. I had to train myself. And so I signed up for a course in public speaking entitled “Business Freedom Speaking Academy,” presented by Eric Edmeades.

It was simultaneously the worst and best experience of my life!

Learning to be myself

Before I attended the course, I always tried to impersonate a persona that I thought other people wanted to see. I tried to live up to their expectations by changing my appearance and my activities.

But how wrong I was…

Although, I learned many great speaking techniques and tricks on how to get an audience’s attention, the most important thing I learned was to be myself – to be real.

I discovered this great truth at a critical time in my career. And to this day, this is my main weapon against fear of public speaking. I deliberately choose to be myself, and not a person that I think the audience would like to see.

This has given me great confidence and has helped me to see that there is so much more within me than I ever realized. And that genuineness – that realness – is what every audience truly wants to see.

Strive to be yourself in every situation. Be the best YOU that you can be!

This is the first post in a two-part series on public speaking. Read the second post here.