My Bravest Moment: Overcoming Public Speaking Fears

Your bravest moment was when you gave your first speech in front of all the students during your senior high school. Despite being an introverted person, you recognized the importance of public speaking in both university and society. So when your class had the opportunity to deliver a speech in the flag-raising ceremony, you volunteered for it as a personal challenge. This experience not only made you brave enough to speak in public but also had a profound impact on you.

Preparing the speech draft proved to be a challenging process for you. The topic, "having a good attitude toward the final exam," was unfamiliar, and you struggled with writing the article. To overcome this, you dedicated a significant amount of time reading articles and watching videos by psychology professors like Dulio, Zixun Li, Lei Mo, and Sangu Delle's TED Talk speech. After two revisions, you completed the draft, spending almost half of your weekend on it. Reciting the draft proved to be unexpectedly difficult, requiring all your leisure time during that weekend.

When the day arrived for your speech, despite trying to calm your nerves by imagining students as vegetables, your nervousness was still evident. Initially, everything went well, but as expected, not everything proceeded smoothly. Nervousness caused you to forget some sentences halfway through, resulting in a complete silence in the square for two seconds. The only audible sound was the beating of your own heart. In that moment, you panicked and questioned yourself internally, "What should I do?" Fortunately, you quickly remembered the words and resumed your speech.

Upon finishing your speech, your best friend praised your performance, and others echoed the sentiment. You were surprised and proud to receive positive feedback, considering it was your first speech. This experience instilled a sense of pride in your bravery.

Although delivering the speech was challenging, it was a worthwhile experience. It not only equipped you with essential speech skills but also taught you a lifelong lesson. You learned that success in most endeavors hinges on one's willingness to face challenges head-on. In the future, when confronted with difficulties, you will strive to overcome fear and give your best effort. This process is both enjoyable and beneficial, shaping you into a more confident individual.