I gave this lecture on December 11, 2021.
Fear
INTRODUCTION
In the middle of the Great Depression, on March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, America’s 32nd President, needed to inspire a nation. At the time, a quarter of Americans were out of work, and things had dragged on long enough that many felt there was no end to it. In his inaugural address, Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” It may have been one of the wisest things he ever said.
SPS For a public speaker, fear is the great nemesis, the invisible enemy that wreaks havoc on his ability to give a clear, cogent, helpful, and entertaining speech. Fear reaches out and steals our memory of words, stifles imagination and innovation, and slaps down any intention of improvement or becoming more expressive. Fear causes anxiety, tentativeness, and ultimately, paralysis if we let it.
Polls have shown that a fear of public speaking is a top—if not THE top—fear among men. Many men lack confidence, think they have nothing worthwhile to say, think they will make fools of themselves, and think others will think less of them because they cannot speak well. Look at Moses. He refused God Himself because of some speech problem! In Exodus 4:10, he says, “I am not eloquent . . . but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” So, he felt he couldn’t talk well—he had no natural fluency of speech. His hesitancy about public speaking kindled the wrath of God against him (verse 14)!
Throughout Spokesman’s Club and Ambassador College, I was not a great speaker—not by a long shot! I was never chosen to represent my class or club at the annual Speech Ball. My speech teachers described my style as pedantic: “narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned; unimaginative, dull.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary remarks: “Pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise, especially in some narrow or boring subject matter.” I made A’s in homiletics (the study of sermonizing), but no one considered me a good speaker.
I left AC in 1988, and after marrying Beth in 1989, we settled in San Diego County, California, where we joined the Escondido congregation. I joined the Graduate Club, and in my second speech there, I made a breakthrough. I was seeing the same old habits and pedantic delivery, and I realized that my fear of stepping out of myself, my fear of looking foolish, my fear of saying something poorly or stupidly, my fear of letting people see my personality, was holding me back. I was ineffective and unmemorable because I let fear of people’s reactions to me control me, diminish me, and stifle me.
So, I decided that, for that second speech, I was going to let go. I would be fearless. I would not care about what the director or the officers of the club or any of the club members thought about my subject, my delivery, my tone of voice, my gestures, or whatever! I would give the speech without hesitation, without shrinking back. I prayed that God would help me overcome my fear and resolved to give it my best shot.
I won the Most Effective Speaker award that night. And I won it twice more that year, and I was appointed Club President for the next year—and I left WCG halfway through my presidency.
CONCLUSION David writes in Psalm 34:4: “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” He did it for David. He did it in a small way for me, and He will certainly do this for you. If you want to be a good speaker, overcome your fear of men and their reactions, and give it your all. If I, the pedantic one, can do it, so can you!
I hope this advice helps you.