Give Up Having to Be Perfect

Many people are afraid of public speaking because they are afraid of making mistakes and embarrassing themselves. To get over this fear, you must first give up the belief that you have to be perfect and give yourself permission to make mistakes. The truth is that even professional speakers make mistakes. Judith E. Pearson, in her advice on overcoming a fear of public speaking, suggests:

The way to recover from a mistake is to observe it dispassionately, take whatever corrective action is necessary, regain your composure, focus on what to say next, and go on. Dwelling on an error and feeling bad about it only adds to your confusion. Leave the mistake behind you and move forward. Audiences are forgiving. Many listeners will be paying more attention to the message than to the delivery, anyway, and they won’t even notice the slip up. Others may admire the way you recover so easily, or may even be relieved to know you are human. ¹⁰

Everyone makes mistakes. This is true in all areas of our life experiences. For example, no one is perfect in the game of golf. The following speech, presented by David N. Smart, is his interpretation of how overcoming his frustration in the game of golf paralleled his college experiences.