Читать книгу Start & Run an Art Teaching Business - Tanya Freedman - Страница 32

Some people enjoy standing up and speaking in front of a crowd. For others, there couldn’t be anything more frightening. Fear of public speaking is one of the top five causes of anxiety, topping fear of death, financial ruin, and creepy crawly things!

You may not fear public speaking, but you may be slightly uncomfortable with other aspects of interacting with large groups. You may be shy by nature, or you may be afraid of rejection or of trying the unknown. Some of us are merely afraid of what we have not practiced before. Regardless, as an entrepreneur you will have to develop your public speaking skills in the search for long-lasting success. And you never know, you may discover that you actually enjoy public speaking and add it to your growing list of talents.

The benefits of learning and developing this skill far outweigh the investment of the extra time you spend on it. For me, these benefits included:

• Gaining the confidence to approach and speak to people from all walks of life and different business backgrounds

• Learning to listen effectively

• Learning to focus on my clients’ reactions and needs

• Learning to speak about any subject at the spur of the moment

• Improving my interpersonal skills (for both my personal and business life)

I had decided to work on my public speaking skills when the date of the second annual Jolly Good Art exhibition approached. Although I was comfortable meeting with new students and their parents, I was still nervous about speaking in front of a large group of people in my studio.

When I first heard of Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization that helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills, it meant nothing to me. Now, however, I was running a successful, expanding business. As the school’s owner and leader, I had to stand up and speak eloquently and confidently about my business, which meant moving out of my personal comfort zone.

Toastmasters has a strong reputation for helping people from all walks of life gain insight into their communication styles and confidence in self-expression and the art of persuasion. This new path to self-discovery opened up more opportunities for me than I had ever expected. Not only did practicing public speaking help my confidence level, joining Toastmasters also increased my network of acquaintances — I found a diverse mix of minds and interests.