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  • It's a Good Idea with Angela Oberer

  • Toastmasters International Tip #1009

  • Hi there, I'm Angela Oberer and today's good idea comes from Karla. She writes in and says:

  • I've been diagnosed with social anxiety. Every time I'm in public and have to talk to strangers

  • I get a panic attack. It started when my company asked me to explain a land proposal deal,

  • and even though I was prepared, I totally flubbed it up.

  • I am on Zanax and Paxil but it's so bad now that when the phone rings, I can't even answer it.

  • I have to listen to the message and then text back my response.

  • I can't do simple tasks anymore like picking

  • up my own dry cleaning without getting really stressed out and my heart racing. Please tell

  • me you have some simple and inexpensive good idea so I can get my life back on track.

  • Yes I do Karla, let's ask this question first: What is the worst thing that can happen from

  • your social anxiety? In my opinion it's that your social interaction comes to a grinding

  • halt. And sadly, that has already happened, so Good news, the worst part is already over.

  • Now the second thing I would recommend to get your life back on track and to move forward

  • is to join Toastmasters International. I first discovered Toastmasters in my early

  • twenties and I was a member for like twelve years. It's an international organization

  • that helps you overcome the fear of public speaking and it addresses everything from

  • hand gestures, to eye contact, to vocal variety, to vocalized pauses, things that we say like

  • um, ugh, things like that. Filler words. It helps you remove those from

  • your regular conversation. There are prepared speeches, that you prepare in front of a group

  • of very supportive people that when you are done speaking, instead of judging you, they

  • clap. They are like: \"Yay! Go Karla\" And you get really excited and encouraged

  • it's positive feedback. There's also a section called Table Topics. Where somebody will ask

  • a question, the Table Topics Master, and then they go \"Karla\" and you have to get up and

  • go answer that question on the fly. Again it's a group of supportive people that

  • are wanting you to be great. So you sit there, and you give your idea, and then when you

  • are done, they give you feedback and helpful ways you can improve that, but most of the

  • time they are clapping: \"Go Karla\". It's very supportive and most sales organizations

  • encourage their people to join Toastmasters. Most ministers join Toastmasters, Professional

  • Speakers join Toastmasters and it's great for everything from love, life, business,

  • dating, whatever. You will use those Toastmaster skills for everything you do for the rest

  • of your life. So Karla, get out of your shell, and go to

  • Toastmasters International, cause I promise you this, it will change your life, and it's a good idea.

  • It's a good idea.

  • It's a good idea..

It's a Good Idea with Angela Oberer

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