Pushing past fear
I cannot say this strongly enough: I hate public speaking.
I hated it in high school speech class. Hated it in college. And I hate it in the workplace.
Well, maybe "hate" isn't the right word. Maybe "fear" fits better.
I figured that once I became a writer, all of those speeches and public-speaking opportunities that scare me to death would disappear.
Wrong.
It all began with an innocent message on my desk: call this woman at this number in Junction City.
Fifteen minutes later, I had agreed to speak in a panel of journalism professionals at a Flint Hills Press Women workshop.
Later, the question in my mind was this: Why, oh why, did I say 'yes'?"
The answer: Because I am a moron.
At least, that's what kept going through my head on the drive up to Junction City Saturday.
Here's the background: the Flint Hills Press Women is a division of the Kansas Press Women. It's made up of a group of journalists from around the area who meet periodically for various workshops and other events.
(Interesting fact: The group is composed of both women and men. In fact, three of the panelists were men. So why the name? I still don't know.)
For Saturday's event, there were five panelists scheduled, set to speak on four different topics. The woman who was to speak about small-town newspapers dropped out.
Hence, the call to me.
So I said yes, even though my fearful side was screaming at me to run away. And I got up to Junction City and was even more humbled.
The panel went like this: Head honcho from Manhattan Mercury. Big head honcho from Junction City Daily Union. Big head honcho from Abilene Reflector-Chronicle. Incredibly experienced journalism professor from K-State.
And me.
By 3:30 p.m., the workshop was over, I was relieved — and it actually went well!
I got to meet some great people, stretch my brain a little bit, and once again push past my numbing fear of public speaking.
Sometimes you just have to say 'yes' to something that scares you.
— JENNIFER WILSON
